See 7 Earth-Like Planets Recently Discovered by NASA – Futurism

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In Brief Take a trip to the newest star system discovered by NASA from the comfort of your own home. Downloading the TRappist-1 update to the Space Engine simulator will allow you to visit estimations of the planets.

You dont have to wait to explore the seven Earth-sized exoplanetsrecently discovered in the TRAPPIST-1 system. You can do it right now.

Hours after the announcement on Wednesday, Vladimir Romanyuk released a downloadable pack for his universe simulator Space Engine, which contains all seven planets. All you have to do is download Space Engine, then the TRAPPIST-1 pack, then add the file to the addons/ folder. Once youve done that you can load up the simulator and get up close with each of the seven planets.

It should be noted that no one yet knows what the surface of these planets truly look like. NASA drew up an illustration with some scientific predictions but thats all we have right now. As Space Engine is a simulator, it has also authored its own vision of these planets, based on their bulk density.

Space Engine renders the first planets as warm terras while the rest are cool deserts. A couple have oceans, many of them have huge cyclones rampaging across their rocky surfaces, but whats missing are any signs of life.

Three of the planets in the TRAPPIST-1 system are in the habitable zone, which means they could support life. Lets hope Space Engine is off the mark there. In fact, its simulation of these planets is way off at the moment, to the point that Romanyuk is considering some manual tweaks. They would include increasing the temperature of the star and correcting the planet orientation in relation to the sun so they are no longer tidally locked.

If youre unable to visit the planets for yourself in Space Engine then you can check out Imgur user DRMirage809s photo gallery of their own trip to TRAPPIST-1. YouTuber Anton Petrov also gives a tour in his video, however, he hasnt installed the new planet pack, so it only includes the three planets that were discovered previously and not the four new ones.

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MIT Tech Lets You Control Robots With Your Thoughts – Futurism

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Mind Control

One reasonhumans fear robots and autonomous technologies in general is the potential for them to spiral out of our control (perhaps taking over the world while theyre at it). Since wedont yet know exactly how technological singularity would play out, for now, robots taking over the world remains just science fiction.

To that end, heres something that might appease those who worry a lot about machines taking over the world. Technology currently in development at Massachusetts Institute of Technologys (MIT) Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL), together with researchers from Boston University, is working on a way to give robots command using brain signals.Essentially, this letspeople control robots using onlytheir minds.

Researcherscreated a feedback system that allows robots to correct their mistakes easily. This system uses brain activity data from an electroencephalography (EEG) monitor, scanning for brain signals called error-related potentials (ErrPs). ErrPs are generated whenever the brain notices a mistake.

This feedback mechanism works in real time, thanks to the teams machine-learning algorithms that makes the system capable of classifying brain waves in just 10 to 20 milliseconds. As you watch the robot, all you have to do is mentally agree or disagree with what it is doing, explained CSAIL director Daniela Rus, senior author of the teams research paper which was accepted for the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA) which will take place in May. You dont have to train yourself to think in a certain way the machine adapts to you, and not the other way around.

Of course, monitoring ErrPs is just one piece of the puzzle.To be able to control a robot fully using the human brain, it would take more than than just reading a couple of brain signals. But this research on more intuitive human-robot interaction opens up possibilities for application in real-world setups that require a person to control robots. For example, managing robot assembly lines in factories or autonomous driving systems.

Imagine being able to instantaneously tell a robot to do a certain action, without needing to type a command, push a button or even say a word, Rus said. A streamlined approach like that would improve our abilities to supervise factory robots, driverless cars, and other technologies we havent even invented yet.

University of Freiburg computer science professor Wolfram Burgard commented onthis technologys potentialfor developing effective tools for brain-controlled robots and prostheses. Burgard, who wasnt part of the study, also added, Given how difficult it can be to translate human language into a meaningful signal for robots, work in this area could have a truly profound impact on the future of human-robot collaboration.

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Airbus Has Revealed Its Flying Car-Drone Hybrid – Futurism

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In Brief

Airbus, a company best known for building airplanes, has partnered with the car company Italdesign and unveiled their car-drone hybrid called Pop.Up.

Unlike typical flying car concepts, the Pop.Up features a modular set-up that will allow it to operate both on ground and in the air. A drivable passenger capsule, about the size of a smart car, can attach to a giant quadcopter that will lift it into the air, giving passengers the option to travel through the traffic or above it.

The plan is for the Pop.Up to be controlled by Artificial Intelligence so that passengerscan summon the vehicle on demand via an app. Airbus sees this as the most efficient way to ferry passengers. It would also the first fully electric, zero-emission vehicle system designed specifically to relieve traffic congestion, which is expectedto increase by 2030.

This vehicle is design to meet the needs of the future, explained Italdesign CEO Jrg Astalosch in a press release.

Today, automobiles are part of a much wider eco-system: if you want to design the urban vehicle of the future, the traditional car cannot alone be the solution for megacities, Astalosch said. In the next years ground transportation will move to the next level and from being shared, connected and autonomous it will also go multimodal and moving into the third dimension.

Whilethe Pop.Up is still in the concept stage, Italdesign and Airbus argue that it is the most feasible concept car to date. If the companiess hopes come to fruition, it wont be long before wesee their vehicle on our roads and in the skies.

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Trump Won Big In House Conservatives’ Districts Will They Defy Him On Health Care? – NPR

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Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, speaks out Tuesday against the GOP leadership's plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, flanked by fellow Republican Reps. Mark Sanford of South Carolina (from left) and Jim Jordan of Ohio as well as Republican Sens. Mike Lee of Utah and Rand Paul of Kentucky. Mark Wilson/Getty Images hide caption

Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, speaks out Tuesday against the GOP leadership's plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, flanked by fellow Republican Reps. Mark Sanford of South Carolina (from left) and Jim Jordan of Ohio as well as Republican Sens. Mike Lee of Utah and Rand Paul of Kentucky.

Updated at 5:15 p.m. ET

Some of the most conservative members of the House are at a crossroads over the plan from GOP leadership and the White House to replace the Affordable Care Act. Those lawmakers say their choice is between supporting a bill that goes against many of their principles, or falling in line behind President Trump who won overwhelming support in their district.

"Do we need to lower the bar in what we believe as conservatives simply because a Republican is in the White House?" asked House Freedom Caucus member Mark Sanford, a Republican from South Carolina.

The overwhelming answer from members of the conservative caucus and other major outside conservative groups is no at least right now.

But there are reasons that President Trump, Vice President Pence, House Speaker Paul Ryan and others sound confident. For a president who built his career on being a master negotiator, it's now his job to sell these skeptical members on the merits of the bill and the breadth of his win in their districts shows there could be fertile ground to do so.

The president has repeatedly underscored that he believes he has a mandate to overhaul health care, given his win last November and GOP sweeps in Congress. In the areas that belong to those holding out on the replacement bill, Trump won, as he would say, "big league."

Trump carried the districts of the House Freedom Caucus members by an average margin of about 26 points. He won more than 20 of these districts by 20 points or more and carried 27 of them by double digits.

Yet the lawmakers almost all won their races comfortably, too allowing them to claim a mandate from constituents just as Trump has. Lawmakers could even argue they have more purity on the issue, given Trump's fluctuations on enumerating exactly what he wants in a health care bill and lack of specifics during the campaign.

The GOP can still pass the American Health Care Act even if it loses as many as 20 votes or more, if any Democrats change their minds.

Looking at it another way, Trump needs to woo only 10 of these conservative members over to his side but that also assumes other GOP centrists stay on board too. Ultimately, as the White House said on Wednesday, the president is prepared to do everything he needs to do to get there.

"We are out in full sell mode all around the country, talking about how we think this is the best way to solve the problem that the American people face and why we believe that the solutions that we put forward in this bill are the right ones and that will benefit them," White House press secretary Sean Spicer told reporters on Wednesday.

Members of the Freedom Caucus could still be swayed, as even the group's chairman confessed on Wednesday.

"I would be the first to admit that calls from the president will certainly influence members and to suggest otherwise would be to ignore politics," Rep. Mark Meadows of North Carolina told the Associated Press. "Whether you fully supported Donald Trump or not, getting a call from President Trump obviously makes a difference."

Plus, some of Trump's top lieutenants selling the bill once served in the House, where they had plenty of conservative bona fides. Pence spent 12 years there as a representative from Indiana; Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price just left his position as a Georgia representative; and Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney was a South Carolina representative before Trump plucked him for the job. Mulvaney has already invited members of the Freedom Caucus to join him for a bowling night at the White House next week.

Still, there are some long-simmering tensions evident in the conservative backlash to the new bill. Most members of the Freedom Caucus came around on Trump during the campaign, even if many did not initially support him. Yet the divide over health care underscores the skepticism some conservatives still have with the White House and GOP leadership.

Conservative critics want a clean repeal of the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, and say that this new replacement plan does not comport with their principles. Among the issues they have with the bill is the tax credits the new plan provides, which could actually result in a rebate from the IRS to cover premiums, and the delay in doing away with the original law's Medicaid expansion program.

This is the young White House's first real legislative challenge, and it's one that could still be tough for a president who entered office without any legislative or government experience.

Trump expressed optimism on Tuesday that "everybody" would eventually support the House bill he has now thrown his weight behind even as members of the House Freedom Caucus and their allies on the Senate side held a news conference to malign the bill.

Trump's popularity has fallen since he took office, but he is still viewed favorably in the most conservative areas of the country. Trump himself seemed to acknowledge that could drastically change: He reportedly told House Republicans that the 2018 midterms could become a "bloodbath" if they fumble this health care bill.

At the same time, political action groups like the Club for Growth say they would use the vote in scoring how conservative a member is; a vote for the bill could mean a lower ranking, and more vulnerability for a primary challenge.

The Koch brothers-backed Americans for Prosperity says the members who stand up to oppose the new bill will have its full support going forward.

"From our perspective, bad policy equals bad politics as well," the advocacy group's CEO, Luke Hilgemann, told NPR. "This proposal needs to go to the ash heap of history, as does Obamacare."

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Muhammad Ali’s son, ex-wife launch religious freedom campaign against Trump – USA TODAY

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USA Today Network Errin Haines Whack, The Associated Press 12:14 a.m. ET March 9, 2017

Muhammad Ali Jr., claims airport security held him and questioned him about his name and religion. Time

Muhammad Ali Jr. and Laila Ali arrive at the funeral home before the motorcade for their father, Muhammad Ali, who died on June 3. June 10, 2016(Photo: Michael Clevenger/Courier-Journal)

Muhammad Ali's son and ex-wife declared a "showdown" over religious freedom against President Trump a month after they were detained by immigration officials at a Florida airport.

Muhammad Ali Jr. and his mother, Khalilah Camacho Ali, are headed to Washington Thursday to meet with lawmakers to discuss the issue and their experience. They are also calling for an end to Trump's travel ban and are launching a "Step Into the Ring" campaign, drawing on support of former boxing greats including Evander Holyfield, Larry Holmes and Roberto Duran. They are framing the effort directly as a fight against the president, using the hashtag #AlivsTrump.

Trump has shown admiration for Ali in the past, calling Ali a "truly great champion" when the boxer died of Parkinson's disease in June. Trump also singled out an Ali exhibit during a recent visit to the National Museum of African-American History and Culture in Washington.

The Alis were invited by Democrats to a forum organized by members of the House subcommittee on border security. The Alis will address lawmakers and push to testify at a formal hearing.

"There shouldn't be a travel ban," said Khalilah Camacho Ali. "If I don't speak up now, they're going to keep harassing us."

The mother and son, both born in the United States, were returning from a Black History Month event in Jamaica on Feb. 7 when they were detained and questioned at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. They said they were asked if they were Muslim and explained their relationship to the former heavyweight champion repeatedly.

"I'm paranoid. I'm just waiting for somebody to mess with me. That's not a good feeling when you have to travel," Khalilah Camacho Ali said when asked how the incident has affected her.

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Muhammad Ali Jr.: I wasnt terrorizing anybody

Ali's son not alone in facing border scrutiny

The experience left them convinced that they were targeted because they are Muslim and have Arabic names. Khalilah Camacho Ali, who was born and raised Muslim, said she has always fought for religious rights, and pushed her former husband to use his fame to do the same.

"We, as a family, have been fighting this for a very long time," she said. "We are going to continue to fight for religious justice."

A spokesman for U.S. Customs and Border Protection has said Ali Jr. was held for questioning, but not because of his name or religion.

Trump signed his first travel ban a week into his presidency. The executive order sparked confusion across the country, causing chaotic scenes at airports and prompting lawsuits.

This week, he announced a revised version that bars new visas for people from six Muslim-majority countries and temporarily shuts down America's refugee program. It also removes Iraq from the list of banned countries and removes language prioritizing religious minorities that some viewed as a way to help Christians get into the United States while excluding Muslims.

The new order is set to take effect on March 16.

Muhammad Ali, a three-time heavyweight boxing champion, also fought for civil rights. He refused to enter the military draft during the Vietnam War as a conscientious objector after converting to Islam. The decision cost him his heavyweight title and he was convicted of draft evasion.

The U.S. Supreme Court later ruled in his favor.

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Georgia: Media Freedom at Risk | Human Rights Watch – Human Rights Watch

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UPDATE:On March 7, the seven-member Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights extended the interim measure suspending the enforcement of the Supreme Court's March 2 decision "until further notice."

(Tbilisi) An ownership dispute over Georgias most-watched television broadcaster, Rustavi 2, has sparked serious concerns about potential government interference with both media and the judiciary, Human Rights Watch said today.

Rustavi 2s current leadership, the political opposition, and many independent groups see a lawsuit by a former owner seeking to retake ownership and a March 2, 2017 ruling by the Supreme Court endorsing the change as a government-orchestrated move to take over the opposition-minded station. The European Court of Human Rights has ordered temporary suspension of the Supreme Court decision and instructed the Georgian authorities to refrain from interference in the station.

A government-favored change in the editorial policy of Rustavi 2 would deliver a serious blow to Georgias media pluralism and could significantly limit the publics access to opposition views, said Giorgi Gogia, South Caucasus director at Human Rights Watch. The entire process of contesting Rustavi 2s ownership threatens media freedom and judicial independence and demands further scrutiny.

Concerns about potential government interference in Rustavi 2 have been exacerbated by other developments in the overall media landscape in Georgia that have reduced the space for critical opposition media, Human Rights Watch said.

The March 2 ruling by Georgias highest court of appeal said that the stations ownership should revert to Kibar Khalvashi, a businessman who owned it from 2004 to 2006, and who alleged he had been improperly forced to sell the station at below market value by then-president Mikheil Saakashvili. The Supreme Courts Grand Chamber, consisting of nine judges, issued a unanimous decision the same day it took up the case, declining to allow the parties to make oral arguments. The written judgement is expected in a month.

Khalvashi initiated the lawsuit in August 2015, claiming he had been strong-armed into relinquishing his majority stake by the then-Georgian leadership. Khalvashis key evidence was a report on the valuation of Rustavi 2 shares in 2005-2006 by a current state forensic bureau expert based on data Khalvashi provided. The report showed the shares were worth far more than Khalvashi received.

Rustavi 2s current shareholders dispute the reports validity, alleging that the valuation was based on inconclusive financial data and had not been compiled in accordance with international valuation standards. In November 2015, a judge from Tbilisi City Court ruled to reinstate Khalvashi as the majority owner. An appeal court upheld the decision in June 2016.

Rustavi 2s current owners, brothers Giorgi and Levan Karamanishvili, are widely seen as close associates of Saakashvili. Nika Gvaramia, the stations current general director, served in several high-level government posts during Saakashvilis administration, and maintains close contact with him. Khalvashi and the current government are both strong opponents of Saakashvili.

The current owners, numerous Georgian human rights groups, Georgias ombudsman, and many of Georgias international partners have raised questions and concerns throughout the ownership dispute, suggesting possible government interference to silence critical, and in particular, opposition media.

Senior government officials have on multiple occasions made clear not only that they take issue with Rustavi 2s editorial stand, but that they want to see the stations ownership changed and given to Khalvashi, expressing clear support for the courts to act to strip the current leadership at the station.

The Tbilisi City Court judge also issued an interim injunction in November 2015, replacing Rustavi 2s top management, including Gvaramia, with temporary management, contending that the stations managers were too focused on the ownership dispute, to the detriment of other issues of public interest. Local human rights groups and Georgias international partners criticized the move as an attempt to affect the channels editorial policy.

A week later, the judge overturned his decision and reinstated the broadcasters top management. The Constitutional Court then suspended the civil procedure code clause that had allowed the appointment of temporary managers.

Domestic observers have raised questions about the independence and impartiality of the judges in this case. Rustavi 2 attorneys unsuccessfully sought to get the first-instance court judge recuse himself on the basis that pending criminal proceedings against the judges mother could have been used by the government as leverage against him.

The stations current director, Gvaramia, has also made credible allegations of intimidation to pressure him to resign. In October 2015, Gvaramia alleged that a government official threatened to leak a personal video of him if he refused to step aside. Although the prosecutors office initiated an investigation, the results were inconclusive. A few days later, audio recordings appeared online, allegedly of Gvaramia receiving instructions from Saakashvili to prepare for a possible physical confrontation with the authorities to defend the station.

The Georgian government has consistently denied that it backs Khalvashis efforts to regain ownership or that it has interfered in anyway with the process. The government issued a statement the day after the Supreme Court ruling, emphasizing that [T]he Government of Georgia has full appreciation and respect towards the freedom of media and does its best to protect and ensure a pluralistic media environment.

On March 3, Rustavi 2 lodged an application with the European Court of Human Rights contesting the March 2 decision, saying that it violates guarantees under the European Convention on Human Rights. In a rare move on the same day, the European Court instructed the Georgian government to temporarily suspend enforcement of the March 2 decision and to abstain from interfering with the applicant companys editorial policy in any manner. The government has complied with the temporary measure, which is to remain in effect until March 8. The European Court said it would treat the Rustavi 2 case as a priority.

The Georgian governments compliance with the suspension measure is a positive move, Human Rights Watch said. It should agree to extend the suspension until the European Courts final judgement and to allow scrutiny of all the human rights concerns raised by the ownership dispute.

The Council of Europe places a high premium on media pluralism and diversity of media content as integral to freedom of expression and information and essential for the functioning of a democratic society. It has called on it members to adopt policies designed to foster as much as possible a variety of media and a plurality of information sources, thereby allowing a plurality of ideas and opinions. The European Court has long held that the state has a key obligation to ensure media pluralism, noting that this observation is especially valid in relation to audio-visual media, whose programmes are often broadcast very widely.

In February, the leadership of the Public Broadcaster announced controversial plans to suspend political talk shows, citing reorganization plans to upgrade the stations equipment and content.

In August 2015, Imedi TV, the second most-watched station, suspended its current-affairs political talk shows amid claims of government interference and pressure. The station merged with two other smaller broadcast stations, and now is largely viewed as a government-friendly channel.

Rustavi 2 was founded in 1994 in the town of Rustavi, about a 20-minute drive from Tbilisi, the capital. The station gained popularity for its hard-hitting investigative exposes and reporting on corruption during the administration of then-president Eduard Shevardnadze. After becoming the nations most-watched news channel, Rustavi 2 played a key role in catalyzing the November 2013 Rose Revolution, which brought Saakashvili to power. Rustavi 2 ownership changed hands multiple times after Khalvashi sold his shares, and before the current ownership.

Democratic societies depend on safeguards to ensure the government of the day cannot unduly interfere with either an independent judiciary or the requirement of a pluralist media, Gogia said. With widespread concerns about such undue interference in Georgia, action should be taken to address them, and the process before the European Court of Human Rights could create the space and opportunity for that.

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AHCA a case study in compassion, fairness and freedom – Washington Examiner

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When legislators talk about health care, we're talking about people's livelihoods, their futures and, fundamentally, our credibility as an equitable, compassionate society. It makes sense, then, that as House Energy and Commerce and Ways and Means Committees conduct full markups of the American Health Care Act, the bill has raised questions from people on both ends of the political spectrum. Already, we hear the cries ring out, one side saying that the AHCA should repeal without any replacement and another decrying the bill as heartless. Detractors are wrong on both counts.

Conservatives coalesce around the perennial principles of compassion, fairness and freedom. These values are mutually inclusive, and I submit that the AHCA is a case study in their application.

Republicans are not afraid that our compatriots will measure us by how well the AHCA cares for people in need of protection. The AHCA guarantees that individuals can't be denied affordable coverage because of pre-existing conditions and that young people can receive coverage under their parents' insurance plans until age 26. Under this bill, insurance companies also can't charge women higher premiums than men.

Yet concern for vulnerable Americans compels conservatives to go further. The Affordable Care Act's Medicaid expansion has manifold flaws, but two remain particularly harmful. First, the ACA expansion rejiggered federal funding to cover able-bodied adults to a greater extent than our elderly and disabled neighbors. The AHCA transitions away from prioritizing the former group, whom Medicaid was never designed to serve, in order to reinvest resources in our most vulnerable neighbors.

Second, Medicaid's cost has tripled since the Clinton administration, and Obamacare's expansion has torpedoed recipients' access to quality care as providers increasingly decline Medicaid patients. Imperiling the long-term viability of Medicaid in order to bring more people under an expansion umbrella that offers individuals less access to the health resources they need is a form of federal racketeering. But that's what the former administration did in order to defend its one-size-fits-all approach to health care. Unfortunately, that attempt at universal coverage has produced almost universally harrowing outcomes among Medicaid patients, and Republicans find it impossible to abandon the program to its current trajectory. We're reining in Medicaid spending today to ensure the lifeline remains solvent for our loved ones tomorrow.

The AHCA responds to the needs of the young, the elderly, the disabled and the marginalized among us. Against the plumb lines of compassion, the conservative plan safeguards Americans more comprehensively, more thoughtfully than its misguided predecessor.

But what of fairness? What of relief for the 4.7 million Americans who have been ejected from their chosen coverage since the ACA's inception or the families whose premiums now jump by about $4,300 each year? While 10.3 million individuals bought plans on the ACA exchanges, 19.2 million taxpayers opted for the individual mandate penalty or claimed an exemption.

The burden of Obamacare's tax appetite falls on families and job creators, yet its $1 trillion in new taxes couldn't deliver substantive care to middle America any more than an over-extended Medicaid could adequately serve those in need.

Penalizing businesses and industrious Americans for opting out of an ostensibly free market remains both unjust and ineffective as a means of strengthening the health care landscape. Here, we see that fairness and compassion call for the same remedya careful repeal of the mandates that drove healthier Americans out of the insurance markets and triggered the death spiral that has jeopardized affordable medical care for every single American.

Also from the Washington Examiner

"People will offer amendments, there are unlimited amendments unlimited," McConnell said.

03/09/17 9:33 AM

Obamacare gave rise to a new American underclass who have found themselves dwelling in a land where leaping deductibles and premiums have made it impossible to make ends meet. Sustainable options for rehabilitating the market exist only in an ecosystem characterized by competition, innovation and patient empowerment.

Hope comes from restoring people's ability to make free choices in a free market, so the fundamental issue is personal agency. Conservatives believe that individual and community decisions outperform federal health care directives. The AHCA, therefore, returns agency to patients, doctors and states by removing the mandates that punish personal choice, doubling the size and utility of health savings accounts, and giving states wide flexibility in administering federal Medicaid dollars in order to meet the particular needs of their unique populations.

At great personal cost to millions of Americans, we have learned from the unforced errors of the Affordable Care Act. When health care is filtered through bureaucrats, we see patient choices evaporate, premium and deductible costs surge, and resources contract as the market descends into a death spiral. Republicans find this brave new world unacceptable, and we're responding accordingly.

House committees are currently marking up their respective portions of this bill, considering numerous amendments as both parties weigh in through a process that is so transparent that the entire bill text is available online at readthebill.gop. And while the American Health Care Act may not be an ideal remedy for every Obamacare ailment, it does bring conservative ideals to bear on what may be the greatest legislative challenge of our generation.

The AHCA reduces government reach, restores personal freedom and begins to repair the injustices that Obamacare imposed on our families and friends. We care too much about our fellow Americans to let reckless laws come to fruition at their great expense.

Also from the Washington Examiner

Conservative insurgents in the House and Senate oppose the bill.

03/09/17 8:52 AM

Rep. Doug Collins, R-Ga, is Vice Chair of the House Republican Conference.

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East Side Freedom Library wins national award and a gift from a Zombie hunter – TwinCities.com-Pioneer Press

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When two Macalester College historians scrambled to convert a century-old Carnegie library into a hub of St. Paul immigrant and labor history, they werent thinking about national library awards, but they got one this week.

The East Side Freedom Library also has captured the attention of Michonne, the world-famous zombie slayer from AMCs hit television series The Walking Dead.

Over the past three years, the husband-and-wife team of Peter Rachleff and Beth Cleary have filled the nooks of the Freedom Library on Greenbrier Street with as many as 15,000 items. Many are books from local authors, immigrant narratives such as the official Hmong Archives, and Minnesotas labor history.

Theres also work space for a Karen refugee weaving group, art retreats, author talks, films and two separate meditation circles.

The 8,000-square-foot structure, which dates to 1917, even hosts childrens singalongs and Solidarity Saturdays, where seasoned labor activists and others who identify as being left of the ideological center can sip teaon rocking chairs while pondering how quickly their political fortunes have turned since the last election. For the labor movement, these are interesting times.

There has never been a more important time to be building these kinds of bridges than now, Rachleff said Tuesday. Saturday we had a History Day workshop in the morning for kids doing History Day projects, followed by a childrens story hour for younger kids. Saturday afternoon we had Karen teenagers doing digital storytelling, with five-minute videos kids did at Washington Technology Magnet School.

The calendar for the rest of the week includes two author talks, a discussion about labors influence on progressive politics in Richmond, Calif., and a presentation on school funding from the St. Paul Federation of Teachers.

Its all part of a new role for theformerArlington Hills Library, andan unusual addition to the Payne-Phalen neighborhood.

Rachleff, a former Macalester College labor historian, and Cleary, who teaches the history and practice of theater at Macalester, acknowledge that since signing a 15-year lease with the city in 2014, theyve made a few changes. Among them, the couples part-Alaskan Malamute rescue dog,Orso, now lolls about the bookshelves.

Some of those changes have reverberated with the American Library Association, which on Monday recognized the East Side Freedom Library with the John Sessions Memorial Award. Sponsored by the AFL-CIOs Department for Professional Employees, the award is given each year to one library or library system that recognizes the contributions of the labor movement to American history and development.

And Walking Dead actress Danai Gurira, who plays the sword-wielding survivor of an apocalyptic zombie outbreak, sent Rachleff and Cleary a sizable donation this Christmas, one large enough to bring tears to Rachleffs eyes.

I think that its not often that teachers get support from their students, and its very meaningful to both Beth and me, Rachleff said Tuesday.

Both professors had the Iowa-born, Tony Award-winning actress in class during her undergraduate years at Macalester. Cleary directed Gurira in several main-stage plays.

The Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis will soon showcase one of Guriras plays Familiar which revolves around a Zimbabwe-American woman who brings her white fiance home to meet her parents in Minnesota. Guriras ancestral roots are from Zimbabwe.

Rachleff pointed to DVD copiesof Guriras work on a table at the library dedicated to local artists. Recognized for its cinematography, the 2013 Sundance Film Festival entry Mother of George focuses on the cultural challenges confronting a Nigerian family living in Brooklyn.

More information about the library is online ateastsidefreedomlibrary.org.

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When is Geri’s 1990s: My Drive To Freedom on BBC2 and what’s the documentary fronted by ex-Spice Girls star Geri … – The Sun

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This will be Ginger Spices first major TV presenting role

IT WAS the decade that saw the height of Britpop as bands such as Oasis, Blur and Pulp were topping the charts.

But it was also the era that saw the rise of the worlds biggest girl group, The Spice Girls, here and across the Pond.

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One fifth of the band, Geri Horner, is set to look back on Nineties and the years that shot her to fame and fortune.

But what is Geris 1990s: My Drive To Freedom all about? Heres what we know.

The former Spice Girl, who was known as Ginger Spice, has landed her very first major TV presenting role for the BBC.

The 44-year-old will front a documentary series called Geris 1990s: My Drive To Freedom, which will air soon on BBC Two.

During the series, she will look back on the decade that propelled her to fame as well as looking at the era that created Britpop.

She will interview big names from the decade as well as her friends as she reflects on her own incredible journey" and as the BBC said, it will tell the story of Horner turning 18 as a working class girl in Watford at the dawn of the decade through to international fame and fortune with the Spice Girls.

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An air date has yet to be released.

With rumours abound of a Spice Girls reunion, its fitting that one fifth of the band, whose debut single is 21 years old this year, should be fronting this rather apt series.

Jan Younghusband, the BBC's head of music TV commissioning, said: "We are thrilled that Geri has agreed to share her first-hand insights as a leading woman in music, and how the influences of her life have shaped her as a performer."

Geri added, in a statement: Personally, it was a journey of self-discovery, reflecting on some amazing things I am incredibly grateful to have experienced. I think the 90s was a very optimistic decade that proved that regardless of who you are and where you come from, you can evolve and change and dreams can come true."

Geri will talk about her close friend George Michael who passed away on Christmas Day last year.

Speakingto Philip Schofield and Holly Willoughby on This Morning, she fought back tears as she opened up about the huge influence he had on her life.

Holly said: The beginning of the year was tinged with sadness when you lost your very very good friend.

Geri smiled: I talk about him in the documentary, Im going to cry thinking about it.

ITV

As the tears came which she partially blamed on being hormonal, she explained: I absolutely loved him.

When I left the Spice Girls he took me under his wing and he was such a lovely person.

Geri also gave more info about her new documentary, saying: I watched it and I thought maybe the outside has changed, a few more wrinkles and a different accent, but its still the same old blah blah blah, you dont really change.

Sometimes you have to look back to go forwards.

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Delighted Geri Horner gives birth to a little boy on the SAME day as Baby Spices birthday

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When is Geri's 1990s: My Drive To Freedom on BBC2 and what's the documentary fronted by ex-Spice Girls star Geri ... - The Sun

The liberals who loved eugenics – Washington Post

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The progressive mob that disrupted Charles Murrays appearance last week at Middlebury College was protesting a 1994 book read by few if any of the protesters. Some of them denounced eugenics, thereby demonstrating an interesting ignorance: Eugenics controlled breeding to improve the heritable traits of human beings was a progressive cause.

In The Bell Curve, Murray, a social scientist at the American Enterprise Institute, and his co-author, Harvard University psychologist Richard J. Herrnstein, found worrisome evidence that American society was becoming cognitively stratified, with an increasingly affluent cognitive elite and a deteriorating quality of life for people at the bottom end of the cognitive ability distribution. They examined the consensus that, controlling for socioeconomic status and possible IQ test bias, cognitive ability is somewhat heritable, the black/white differential had narrowed and millions of blacks have higher IQs than millions of whites. The authors were resolutely agnostic concerning the roles of genes and the social environment. They said that even if there developed unequivocal evidence that genetics are part of the story, there would be no reason to treat individuals differently or to permit government regulation of procreation.

[Why Middleburys violent response to Charles Murray reminded me of the Little Rock Nine]

Middleburys mob was probably as ignorant of this as of the following: Between 1875 and 1925, when eugenics had many advocates, not all advocates were progressives but advocates were disproportionately progressives because eugenics coincided with progressivisms premises and agenda.

Progressives rejected the Founders natural-rights doctrine and conception of freedom. Progressives said freedom is not the natural capacity of individuals whose rights preexist government. Rather, freedom is something achieved, at different rates and to different degrees, by different races. Racialism was then seeking scientific validation, and Darwinian science had given rise to social Darwinism belief in the ascendance of the fittest in the ranking of races. The progressive theologian Walter Rauschenbusch argued that with modern science we can intelligently mold and guide the evolution in which we take part.

Progressivisms concept of freedom as something merely latent, and not equally latent, in human beings dictated rethinking the purpose and scope of government. Princeton University scholar Thomas C. Leonard, in his 2016 book Illiberal Reformers: Race, Eugenics & American Economics in the Progressive Era, says progressives believed that scientific experts should be in societys saddle, determining the human hierarchy and appropriate social policies, including eugenics.

Economist Richard T. Ely, a founder of the American Economic Association and whose students at Johns Hopkins University included Woodrow Wilson, said God works through the state, which must be stern and not squeamish. Charles Van Hise, president of the University of Wisconsin, epicenter of intellectual progressivism, said: We know enough about eugenics so that if that knowledge were applied, the defective classes would disappear within a generation. Progress, said Ely, then at Wisconsin, depended on recognizing that there are certain human beings who are absolutely unfit, and should be prevented from a continuation of their kind. The mentally and physically disabled were deemed defectives.

In 1902, when Wilson became Princetons president, the final volume of his A History of the American People contrasted the sturdy stocks of the north of Europe with Southern and Eastern Europeans who had neither skill nor energy nor any initiative of quick intelligence. In 1907, Indiana became the first of more than 30 states to enact forcible sterilization laws. In 1911, now-Gov. Wilson signed New Jerseys, which applied to the hopelessly defective and criminal classes. In 1927, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld Virginias law, with Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. writing in a letter that, in affirming the law requiring the sterilization of imbeciles, he was getting near to the first principle of real reform.

At the urging of Robert Yerkes, president of the American Psychological Association, during World War I the Army did intelligence testing of conscripts so that the nation could inventory its human stock as it does livestock. The Armys findings influenced Congresss postwar immigration restrictions and national quotas. Carl Brigham, a Princeton psychologist, said the Armys data demonstrated the intellectual superiority of our Nordic group over the Mediterranean, Alpine and Negro groups.

Progressives derided the Founders as unscientific for deriving natural rights from what progressives considered the fiction of a fixed human nature. But they asserted that races had fixed and importantly different natures calling for different social policies. Progressives resolved this contradiction when, like most Americans, they eschewed racialism the belief that the races are tidily distinct, each created independent of all others, each with fixed traits and capacities. Middleburys turbulent progressives should read Leonards book. After they have read Murrays.

Read more from George F. Wills archive or follow him on Facebook.

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The liberals who loved eugenics - Washington Post

Amanda Nunes’ plans for second UFC title reign don’t include Cris … – CBSSports.com

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UFC bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes goal of becoming the first female fighter in company history to win titles in multiple weight classes remains. Whether she plans to act on that goal, however, apparently depends upon who is holding the 145-pound title.

Nunes, 28, has stated her preference is to face UFC womens featherweight champion Germaine de Randamie (7-3), who defeated Holly Holm for the inaugural title in a disputed decision at UFC 208 in February.

It was Nunes (14-4), of course, who finished de Randamie by first-round TKO in their 2013 bantamweight bout. But asked by a group of media members on Tuesday while vacationing in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, whether she would be just as willing to challenge for the belt if fellow Brailizan Cris Cyborg Justino was wearing it, Nunes switched gears.

Cris is a huge for 145; Im little for 135, Nunes said in an interview captured by MMAFighting.com. In order to fight Cris Cyborg, I would have to train at a specific weight to get more muscles and be stronger. This takes time to do.

The champion right now is Germaine de Randamie. I have fought Germaine before and she is for my weight class. Thats why I want to go up because I have beat her before and know I can beat her.

Justino (17-1), the current Invicta FC featherweight champion, made her long-awited UFC debut last May, winning a pair of bouts against Leslie Smith and Lina Lansberg at catchweights of 140 pounds. But the former Strikeforce champion turned down multiple UFC offers to fight for the inaugural 145-pound title, claiming she needed more time to train and cut weight.

This is the thing -- I want to see Cris Cyborg as [UFC] champion, Nunes said. She is deserving. She is a warrior like me and [the featherweight] division is open for her. She has taken days off, and I know she is going to come back. If she is taking a long time [to return], I want to go up and fight Germaine. But if Cris comes back, I really want to see Cris as champion.

Nunes captured the bantamweight title by knocking out Miesha Tate at UFC 200 in July before coming back with an emphatic 48-second dismantling of a returning Ronda Rousey at UFC 207 in December. But shes likely to have her hands full within her own division in the near future thanks to Valentina Shevchenko, who is fresh off a pair of impressive wins against Holly Holm and Julianna Pena.

Shevchenko (14-2), 28, lost a three-round decision to Nunes last March at UFC 196. But the native of Russian appeared to figure things out in the final round and rallied late to give Nunes all she could handle.

Last month, the typically all-business Shevchenko shared with TMZ Sports her opinion that Nunes is looking for any reason to avoid a rematch. Nunes rejected the notion, saying she has plans to sit down with the UFC and discuss her next step upon her return to the United States.

Im on vacation right now and Im never going to stop enjoying this moment to come back and fight because Valentina wants, Nunes said. Its not like that.

I love this rematch. I love to see Valentina like that because she never was like that, to talk a lot. Im excited to be back in training and see what is next. I will fight her. If she is next, I dont have any problem.

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Amanda Nunes' plans for second UFC title reign don't include Cris ... - CBSSports.com

Metal Gear Solid movie director talks Cyborg Ninja, Sniper Wolf, fourth wall moments, and more – GamesRadar

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The Metal Gear Solid movie will feature a character near and dear to director Jordan Vogt-Roberts' heart, at least if he has anything to say about it. While promoting his new movie Kong: Skull Island, Vogt-Roberts told IGN that "there's no world" in which he directs a Metal Gear Solid movie that doesn't have Gray Fox, AKA the Cyborg Ninja.

"When we were sitting down to think about the script at a certain point it was like, 'Is Cyborg Ninja in this movie or not?' And the part of me that was a little kid was like, 'There's no world in which I'm ever going to make a Metal Gear movie that Cyborg Ninja is not going to be in.' It's really easy to be like, 'It's a good character to save for the second one,' but no, no, no."

Vogt-Roberts also called himself "a big fan" of Sniper Wolf, so the beautiful-but-deadly sharpshooter may also make an appearance.

Other fan-favorite moments from the PlayStation game may not make it to film, however. Many players to this day remember the shock they felt at being addressed directly by Psycho Mantis as he read the contents of an inserted memory card. But fourth wall shenanigans aren't high on Vogt-Roberts' priorities.

"To me, the fourth wall breaking is a little less important than the walking philosophies and ideologies those characters represent, and getting that right and the tone right and things like that," Vogt-Roberts said. "If breaking the fourth wall makes sense, I'm all for it, [but] I'm more interested in the 'Kojima conversations' about whatever song came out then or whatever - it's that stuff that it just absolutely needs."

And what does Kojima himself think of all this? Well, he's a fan of Kong: Skull Island, at least.

I don't know about you, but that's all the endorsement I needed to see Kong this weekend and be hyped for development of the MGS movie to continue.

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Metal Gear Solid movie director talks Cyborg Ninja, Sniper Wolf, fourth wall moments, and more - GamesRadar

Megan Anderson: One Day Cris Cyborg and I Will Fight and I’ll Take Her Place – MMAWeekly (blog)

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Megan Anderson: One Day Cris Cyborg and I Will Fight and I'll Take Her Place
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Invicta FC interim featherweight champion Megan Anderson held a scrum with reporters at UFC 209, where, not surprisingly, the focus quickly centered on a potential fight with Cris Cyborg Justino and the development of the women's 145-pound division ...

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Megan Anderson: One Day Cris Cyborg and I Will Fight and I'll Take Her Place - MMAWeekly (blog)

MAPPED: The BEST secret beaches in the UK revealed – Express.co.uk

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GETTY/ EXPRESS

When the sun is shining, most people in the UK will head to the coast.

Whether thats the picturesque Cornwall, Brightons pebble beaches or the thriving Skegness - nine times out of ten it will be packed.

Brits are known for rushing to coast as soon as the sun comes out, so why not head to somewhere that is not rammed with people on the beaches.

Here Express.co.uk lists Britains beautiful hidden beaches.

EXPRESS

Saunton Sand, Devon

A stunning golden sand beach is literally hidden behind some of the largest dunes in the UK - Brauton Burrows.

No doubt youll need some strong legs to get over the dunes, but it is worth the effort - especially if you are after a quiet, picturesque place to relax.

The beauty of Saunton Sand was captured in Robbie Williams Angles music video - although it is a great a place to go surfing too.

Moor Sands, Devon

Located in East Prawle, this idyllic beach is out of this world.

With a turquoise sea, small offshore islands and fine pearl sands - this is one of the best hidden beaches - especially as to get to it you have to go through a quiet meadow before descending down a rope ladder.

Kynance Cove, Cornwall

Situated just two miles north of Lizard Point, this stunning beach in Cornwall is often missed by tourists heading down the A3083.

This hidden gem offers spectacular white sand beaches, which stand out against the colourful cliffs and caves. Plus the turquoise blue sea makes this spot feel like you are on a holiday in the Mediterranean with your own private beach.

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A desolate yet beautiful coastline located about 18 miles east of Edinburgh, Aberlady is often missed by tourists

Aberlady, Scotland

A desolate yet beautiful coastline located about 18 miles east of Edinburgh, Aberlady is often missed by tourists.

It has an absolutely stunning nature reserve, as well as views of Arthurs Seat and a submarine wreck sitting tenuously on the golden sands. In autumn thousands of pink-footed geese transform this quiet spot into a riot.

Botany Bay, Kent

Located on the south east coast of England, this beautiful rocky beach often gets overlooked - some may argue it is because of its towering cliffs.

But if you visit the coast when there is a low tide, it has some of the best rock pools and chalk reef and is a great place for a stroll.

Cattersty Sands, North Yorkshire

Situated behind high crags and grassy meadows, this little bay in Skinningrove offers a perfect place for a relaxing afternoon and leisurely strolls.

It boasts crystal clear waters and an old, worn out pier.

GETTY

Winterton Beach, Norfolk

This huge beach offers the perfect quiet holiday spot in a picturesque village.

Just nine miles north of Great Yarmouth, it has cute wood huts that were inspired by the Hermanus Bay huts in South Africa.

Bamburgh, Northumberland

This quiet, idyllic, white sandy beach in the north is a haven if you want to escape the crowds.

With a 12th century castle situated at the top of the beach offering panoramic views of the Farne Islands, you couldnt ask for anything more.

The Strangles, Cornwall

For a beach full of character but not swarming with tourists, head to The Strangles, which is a 15 minute walk south of Crackington Haven.

Although it is known for its high cliffs and shipwrecks, if you head down the zigzag path past the dwarf oaks, there is huge stretch of low-tide sand.

It is also the perfect place to make a fire, have a BBQ and watch the sunset.

GETTY

Oxwich, Wales

This pretty two-mile stretch of beach features sand dunes, salt marches and woodland.

Its safe shallow water makes this a reasonably popular place to go in the summer.

Eype Beach, Dorset

Most tourists miss this beach as they are busy heading towards Lyme Regis or West Bay.

But if you want a secluded spot, away from the crowds then Eype is the place to go. With large smooth pebbles and serene surroundings, this beach is ideal for picnics and barbecues.

North Sands, County Durham

The North Sands is one of the first stretches of the English shoreline and is the best place to go for a beach walk - when the tide is low.

It offers beautiful scenes, especially the cliffs which have a yellow glow thanks to the magnesium limestone.

The story comes after Express.co.uk revealed the best beach in Britain.

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MAPPED: The BEST secret beaches in the UK revealed - Express.co.uk

Swimming temporarily banned at Delray beaches due to bacterial … – Palm Beach Post (blog)

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(Palm Beach Post file photo by Jeffrey Langlois)

DELRAY BEACH A spike in bacterial levels at Delray beaches prompted the city to prohibit swimming until further notice, according to a city advisory issued Wednesday.

Recent sampling of the waters off the beaches by the Florida Department of Health detected higher-than-usual levels of a bacteria that increases risk of infectious disease.

As a precaution, swimming in the municipal beaches is prohibited until further notice, the advisory reads.

Additional samples will be taken to determine when the beaches can reopen.

Causes of the elevated bacterial level are unknown, but are generally associated with wildlife, heavy recreational usage, high surf and tides or runoff following heavy rains, according to city officials.

Double-red flags are raised at Delrays beaches to indicate swimming is banned.

When the advisory is lifted, the double-red flags will be taken down, city officials said.

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The world’s best hidden beaches: Bali | Travel | The Guardian – The Guardian

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Bali is spoilt. Its a complaint Ive heard regularly in the four years Ive been based on the island. One made, I can tell, by travellers whove visited only the well-worn tourist areas. The truth is: Bali is still beyond beautiful. You just need to know where to look.

In the popular areas of Kuta, Seminyak, Canggu, Jimbaran, Nusa Dua, Sanur and Ubud, development has been rampant; most of the rice paddies have been choked into non-existence and traffic congestion is a huge problem. Many of the beaches are lined with hotels, beach bars, umbrellas and deckchairs. Its easy to see why people think Bali has been spoilt.

But as soon as you step off the well-worn path, the traffic eases up, nature returns and the tropical allure of traditional Balinese life the very thing that first attracted tourists to the island flourishes.

Bali isnt an island with an abundance of soft-sand white beaches and most of them have been claimed by hotels or colonised by bars and restaurants. Due to its geology it sits on the active Ring of Fire most of the islands beaches are a beautiful silver or deep grey sand.

This list highlights beaches that arent much-visited: wild beaches, beaches that have exceptional views, beaches that offer really good snorkelling, or solitude, or a sense of adventure. And, of course, some that are great for just chilling, too.

For lazy beach days and hours of snorkelling, Pemuteran is an excellent option. The sleepy seaside town is a centre for diving on Balis north-west coast so most visitors spend their days exploring the ocean, rather than on the peaceful coral and white sand beach. The sea here is lovely for swimming and for 3 you can hire goggles and fins and explore the bays artificial Bio-Rock reef. Some hotels have taken over stretches of the beach but, for a small fee, you can usually rent a sunlounger under beachside trees.

Getting there Pemuteran is on the north-west coast of Bali, on the main coastal road. Its a 4 hour drive from the airport.

When to go The coral grows close to the beach so for easier access to the water for swimming, high tide is better.

Nusa Ceningan is a tiny island wedged between Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Penida, just off Balis south-east coast. Its an island fringed mostly by cliffs but on the south-west coast of the island there is a small, pretty, white sand beach with a good left-hand surf break. If youre not surfing, the beach is a lovely place to chill come low tide, when there is more sand and the water recedes to reveal seaweed farming terraces and rock pools that form good little spa baths.

Getting there On Nusa Ceningan, follow the signs for Secret Point Huts. Youll need to park at this small hotel to get down to the beach.

When to go The beach is very small, so its best to go down at low tide, when theres more sand to relax on.

The clear, calm water around Balis far eastern tip makes it a fantastic area for diving, snorkelling and freediving. Amed is the usual go-to town for accommodation, but just to its north Tulamben offers a far quieter getaway, and exceptional diving. The beach here is rocky so its not suitable if youre looking for soft sand on which to catch up on your reading, but if youre in Bali for an active holiday, there are plenty of dive spots around here, and great snorkelling, too.

Getting there There is a road from Candidasa that bypasses the north-eastern tip of Bali and will take you straight to Amed. However, if you have an hour more, take the scenic coastal road. The views are totally worth it.

When to go Visibility in the water is best during Balis dry season: May to September.

Just over the hill from Padang Bai (fast-boat terminal for the Gili Islands) there is a little secret beach surrounded by palm trees, cut off from the rest of the island by volcanic rock headlands. The white sand is perfect for whiling away hours in the sun, and the beach is edged with trees providing some shade. Coral reaches almost all the way to the beach, so rent snorkelling equipment from one of the beachside warungs and explore the underwater world.

Getting there Head east along Padang Bais beach road. When the road splits go left up the hill; where it splits again, turn right into a parking area. The two paths from here lead to the beach.

When to go The bay is almost always calm; swimming is better at high tide, when its easier to avoid the coral.

Balis Bukit peninsula has no shortage of spectacular beaches and Nyang Nyang, just east of Uluwatu, is a beautiful place where its possible to avoid the crowds. What keeps most beachgoers and touts away is likely the half-hour walk and 500-odd steps needed to descend to get there, but the effort is worth it: at the base of the escarpment youll be surrounded by empty white sands, cliffside vegetation, amazing rock pools and that deserted island feeling. Take your own food and lots of water, as there is nothing for sale on this beach.

Getting there From the main road to Uluwatu turn onto Jalan Batu Nunggalan and go left where the road forks. From the end of this road follow the path to the cliff top and walk down the steps.

When to go High tide is best if you want to swim, as at low tide rocks are exposed.

Lovina is well-known for its dolphin tours: half an hour before sunrise, more than 100 boats carry tourists out to sea where, as the sun comes up, pods of dolphins frolic in the bow waves. Many tourists stay one night for the dolphin trip and then leave missing out on Lovinas chilled beach-holiday vibes. The beach at Lovina is black volcanic sand and the sea very calm; lovely for wallowing. Take your camera and wander east from the main beach, and youll come across brightly painted fishing boats resting on the sand. As the sun goes down, the silhouettes of Javas volcanoes are cast on to the horizon.

Getting there Lovina is on the north coast of Bali, close to Singaraja. Take the coastal road to get there, or one of the scenic roads that pass through the centre of the island.

When to go Make sure youre on the beach before sunset to catch Javas volcano silhouettes.

Half an hour north-west of the famous Tanah Lot temple, Pantai Kelating is a quiet, black sand beach that, come late afternoon when the day is cooler, is a wonderful beach on which to take long walks. When the tide is low, wander around the base of the headland to the west of the beach and discover secret bays, or climb on to the headland to take in the view from alongside the small shrine, Pura Tegal Linggah. Thirsty? Where the road meets the beach theres a small warung, a simple restaurant, that sells fresh coconuts.

Getting there From Jalan Bypass Tanah Lot, follow the signs to a resort called Soori (its well-marked), or type Pura Segara, Kelating into Google Maps.

When to go Early morning and late afternoons are best; at low tide youll be able to explore further.

Pantai Soka is a wonderfully wild beach. From the main road to Gilimanuk you can catch a glimpse of the beach as you cross over a narrow river: at the river mouth there is a small limestone island smothered with vegetation, and waves crashing around it. If you venture down to the beach youll be rewarded with a desolate bay thats hugged by steep cliffs, and ragged volcanic rock pools. When there are ceremonies near the tiny island, which is often, the beach is brightened up by people wearing traditional ceremonial clothing, flower offerings and temple umbrellas.

Getting there As the main road from Denpasar to Gilimanuk drops down to the coast and veers west youll see a large parking area and cafe, signed Pantai Soka. Most vehicles stop to use the shop; few people venture down to the beach. There is an entrance fee of 30p.

When to go Pantai Soka is prettiest during the dry season (during the rains the sea is often muddy brown).

While Rambut Siwi temple, one of Balis seven sea temples, is magnificent, the beach below it is simply out of this world. The black volcanic sand seems to stretch for ever from the cave in the cliff below the temple out to sea and for deserted miles along the coast. Close to sunset the view from the temple across the beach, which is fringed with rice paddies, is phenomenal. Currents are strong so swimming isnt recommended, but the beach is perfect for contemplative beach strolls, and moody photographs.

Getting there Take the main road from Denpasar towards Gilimanuk. Ramput Siwi is a 10-minute drive from Medewi (a rocky beach loved by surfers for the long left-hand reef break).

When to go The cooler early mornings and late afternoons are the most pleasant time of day here.

This beach is so wild its frequented by monitor lizards; black monkeys hang out in the trees on the fringe of the sand and Menjangan deer wade through the shallows. The coral-fringed beach is at the Teluk Brumbun ranger station within the boundary of West Bali national park and totally worth visiting, particularly if you can convince the rangers to let you camp there (youll need your own equipment). Be sure to snorkel at Menjangan Island (just offshore from Teluk Brumbun); the reefs off the small island are said to offer the best snorkelling around Bali it even, some say, rivals the Great Barrier Reef.

Getting there Take a scenic five-hour drive through the centre of Bali, over the volcanoes, and drop down to the north coast. At the far western point youll see parking for Labuhan Lalang, where most boats depart for Menjangan Island. Charter a boat from the national parks office.

When to go Aim to get to Labuhan Lalang at 8am, when the national park office opens, and be prepared to haggle your fare.

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Bang for your buck: Spring break beach showdown – Fox News

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As families and friends search the Internet for last minute vacation deals, its an all an out showdown for the best beach resorts this spring.

Duking it out for the top spots on many U.S. travelers' lists are the ever-popular Florida and the soft sands of the Caribbean.

By comparing the overallprice, evaluating different beaches, resorts and assessing the family friendliness of these popular destinations, we discover which destination is truly worth it for a spring break you won't soon forget.

FLORIDA

First up, we take a look at the best of the best in the Sunshine State. The sun soaked beaches, crystal blue waters-- and a little help from Disney-- have made this state one of the largest tourist attractions in the U.S.. Just last year, Florida welcomed a record 112.8 million tourists.

The pros for Florida include the typically balmy temperatures, usually hovering in the low 80s, cheap flights from most major U.S. hubs, and the mere fact that you dont need to pull out your passport are all major plusses.

Orlando may be the world's theme park captial, but when tourists just want to relax, many head to what they call the heart of the golden coast, also known as Pompano Beach. The low-key area is centrally located between Palm Beach and Miami and was named TripAdvisors top travel destination on the rise. Its a popular fishing spot the coral reefs offer some of Florida's best diving.

Sitting directly on the beach, the Fort Lauderdale Marriott Pompano Beach Resort & Spais a relaxing place to stay with gorgeous views of the of the Atlantic. Enjoy a massage at the resort spa, enjoy a meal at one of several on-site restaurants, and plus you can in some shopping and entertainment. Rates start in April at just $261 per night.

Families who want the sun of Miami-- but not neceessarily all of the adult fun-- can take advantage of the reasonable flights and stay just outside the bustle of he cityat Turnberry Isle Miami.Play a round of golf, get a facial and let the kids enjoy the 35-foot waterslide, lazy river and toddler pool. A Family Fun package-- which includes activities like golfing for kids-- starts at just $399 per night.

Escape the usual spring break crowds and visit Amelia Island located on the Northeast coast of Florida. The southern most barrier island boasts 13miles of beautiful sandy beaches with golf courses and nature walks. The Omni Amelia Island Plantationis a great choice for families with its splash park and a 10,000 square foot family friendly pool. There is also a nature preserve center at the hotel that offers classes on turtle nesting and shark tooth hunting. The price isnt too bad, either, with rooms starting at just $259 a night.

CARRIBEAN

Next up, it's the Caribbean. This part of the world is famous for its iconic turquoise waters and pale white stretches of sand, making for some of the most premium beach spots in the world. The Caribbean consists of thousands of islands, so possibilities are basically endless when it comes to tourism. There are also a myriad of price ranges.

The pros include the rainforests, plentiful diverse cultures and beautiful beaches. The typical temperature hovers around 85 degrees and most islands are a short flight from the U.S.

If you want a relatively hassle free Caribbean vacation, head to Puerto Rico. The U.S. territory is rich in history, has great beaches and lacks the hassle of international customs and passports.

If you want to be checked in and get on the beach within an hour of landing, consider theSan Juan Marriott Resort and Stellaris Casino. This family friendly resort is located right in the very chic Candado Beach area. It boasts newly renovated rooms, offers two pools with a waterslide, plus plenty of activities for children. The on site restaurants can be pricey but explore the food scene just outside the resort for lower priced meal options. Mofongo is a can't-miss native treat. Rates start at $330 per night.

The Cayman Islandsis known as the playground for billionaires with its upscale beach resorts but you actually dont have to be loaded to vacation at this elite spot.

TheComfort Suites Seven Miles Beachrecently underwent a million dollar renovation and is bringing affordability to the Caymans. The hotel offers access to the famous 7 Mile beach and has studios and two bedroom suites with free Wi-Fi and breakfast. Prices start at just $215 per night.

Want to spend a little money? Upgrade to the The Westin Grand Cayman Seven Mile Beach Resort & Spawhich is fully equipped with a swim up bar and each room has granite bathrooms and very comfortable beds.

The Bahamas are always a tourist favorite because of the gorgeous waters and close proximity to the States. Just take a ferry or a twenty minute seaplane ride 50 miles south of Miami to Bimini. Bimini consists of two small islands in the Bahamas and is known as one of Ernest Hemingways favorite getaways.The Resorts World Bimini Bahamasby Hilton was just recently featured on ABCs "The Bachelor." The property sits on five miles of white sand beaches, sports multiple infinity pools and a world class spa, marina and casino. They offer lots of different packages with rates starting at $482 per night.

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Bang for your buck: Spring break beach showdown - Fox News

Kepler provides more information about TRAPPIST-1 – Astronomy Magazine

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Earlier this month, a team including the European Southern Observatory and NASAs Spitzer telescope team announced that the previously-discovered TRAPPIST-1 hosts seven potentially habitable Earth-size planets. (It was once thought to only have three.)

As it turns out, NASAs Kepler space telescope has also been observing TRAPPIST-1 since December 2016 and now that data is available.

Kepler studied the dwarf stars change in brightness due to transitioning planets for 74 days during a period known as the K2 Campaign 12. That research period gave researchers the longest, near continuous set of observations of the dwarf star yet. The information will help teams look at the planets gravitational interactions as well as continue the search for even more undiscovered planets.

However, Kepler almost missed the opportunity to study TRAPPIST-1. Before news broke in May 2016 about the planets orbiting TRAPPIST-1, Kepler was set to study a different region of space. Once they learned about the planets, though, the teams at NASA and Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. worked quickly to rework calculations and commands so the spacecrafts operating system would adjust for Campaign 12 and study the new star system.

In a press release, Michael Haas, science office director for the Kepler and K2 missions at Ames said scientists were excited about the opportunity to study TRAPPIST-1 and had submitted proposals for specific targets of interest in that field.

The unexpected opportunity to further study the TRAPPIST-1 system was quickly recognized and the agility of the K2 team and science community prevailed once again, Haas said.

The K2 mission lasted from December 15, 2016 to March 4, 2017 and provided researchers will information to work with in measuring the planets, working out the orbits, attempting to figure out the mass of the farthest planet, and to learn more about the magnetic activity of TRAPPIST-1.

"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 Center at Moffett Field, California. "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."

Any measurement updates and additional discoveries in the K2 data will help astronomers plan for follow-up studies of TRAPPIST-1 world using NASAs James Webb Space Telescope.

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Kepler provides more information about TRAPPIST-1 - Astronomy Magazine

Crowdfunded pocket-sized astronomy camera is all set to ship to backers – Mashable

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Crowdfunded pocket-sized astronomy camera is all set to ship to backers
Mashable
The Tiny1 from Singapore startup TinyMOS blew through its Indiegogo fundraising campaign in July last year to raise nearly $430,000 over three times its goal. SEE ALSO: Taking underwater photos with your iPhone just got way easier. When we saw an ...

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Crowdfunded pocket-sized astronomy camera is all set to ship to backers - Mashable