Bitcoin is devaluing China’s currency but the country won’t do much about it – Salon

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Its been a volatile year so far for bitcoin. The value of the cryptocurrency jumped 20 percent in the first trading week of the year to a record high of $1,161 per virtual coin. Its value then plunged by more than a third over seven days, to $750, before climbing back up to top $1,200 on Friday.

Traders said the main cause of this roller coaster ride has been China, where the countrys central bank put domestic bitcoin exchanges on notice early last month that they needed to do more to tighten foreign exchange controls. China has been trying to curb the practice of using bitcoin to circumvent rules limiting the amount of money Chinese mainlanders can send abroad, which is currently capped at $50,000 a year.

This capital flight has caused a drop in the value of the renminbi and Chinese regulators have connected the dots between last years drop in the value of the countrys currency and a corresponding rise in the value of bitcoin. Bitcoin bought in renminbi accounted for a staggering 98 percent of all bitcoin trading activity in the last six months of 2016, according to bitcoinity.org.

Eager to convert the Chinese currency into a more stable global currency and stash that wealth abroad, many Chinese mainlanders have been buying bitcoin locally in renminbi and then, using bitcoins blockchain technology, which allows users to safely transmit bitcoin through the Internet, theyre sending bitcoin to other countries where recipients (family members, friends or other contacts) convert bitcoin back into a local currency which can then be used to make investments outside of the country.

But why isnt China simply clamping down hard on the whole bitcoin thing?

You have a government that likes to retain control, and bitcoin is a decentralized currency outside of the control of any nation-state, Christopher Burniske, blockchain products analyst at New York-based ARK Investment Management, told Salon. So that right there is a bit threatening, but at the same time China is working to be recognized as a global leader in technology and economics and the political fallout from outright banning or confiscating bitcoin is arguably too great.

Burniske said China may have other motives for not taking a hardline stance, such as working to develop its own form of digital currency, informally known as ChinaCoin. Early last year, the countrys central banksaid it was mulling a rollout of its own digital currency.

Theamount of bitcoin bought using the Chinese yuan has plummeted to less than 5 percent this week, thank to efforts by domestic exchanges to cool bitcoin trading activity with a one-month ban on making withdrawals and per-transaction fees that went into effect this month. Traders expect Chinas central bank to eventually impose regulations on local bitcoin trading, too, which helped to push the price of bitcoin down. Currently the market is unregulated in China, but traditional financial institutions are barred from dealing in bitcoin.

With so much less bitcoin trading activity from mainland China, why has the value of the currency bounced back to a record high?

Some of it has to do with traders betting the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission will approve at least one of three proposed exchange-traded funds based on bitcoin trading before a March 11 deadline. Though its uncertain whetherU.S. regulators would actually allow trading securities based on the fluctuation in the value of bitcoin, some less cautious investors are buying bitcoin hoping the value will jump after an announcement is made. The other reason is that bitcoin has become a alternative safe-harbor investment, like gold or U.S. Treasury bonds. U.S. inflation is expected to rise this year and bitcoin is being used by some to hedge against a drop in the value of the U.S. dollar. Global political uncertainty may also be playing a role.

Whatever the case may be, bitcoins quick rebound from the China scare could be a sign that the cryptocurrency is becoming more mainstream, according to Burniske, being used more frequently to buy goods and services from merchants that accept it.

This is a sign of global traction for bitcoin, he said. You now have more bitcoin being transacted as a means of exchange than traded as astore of value. Im seeing this as a positive indication of bitcoins globally distributed support, that its not as reliant on China as many people believed it was just a few months ago.

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Bitcoin is devaluing China's currency but the country won't do much about it - Salon

Archibald, Demko help Comets edge Penguins – Sports – Uticaod … – Utica Observer Dispatch

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Ben Birnell

UTICA Darren Archibalds strong season continued Friday.

The 27-year-old veteran forward, who has made some big plays for Utica in his sixth professional season, turned in another solid performance for the Comets against the Atlantic Divisions top team in the slumping Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.

"Its nice to have bounce-back year after battling injuries the last couple of years," Archibald said.

Archibald had a highlight-worthy backhand effort in the second period and rookie Thatcher Demko stopped 27 shots to help the Comets edge the Penguins 2-1 before another announced capacity crowd of 3,870 at the Utica Memorial Auditorium.

"I was able to get some speed and past the defender and tucked in on my backhand," Archibald said of his career-best 17th goal of the season that started with a setup pass from Michael Carcone.

Jordan Subban also scored in support of Demko, who snapped a personal four-game winless streak. The Comets (21-23-7-2, 53 points), who are 4-7-2-1 in their last 14 games, have at least a point in three straight contests.

"We knew coming in, it was going to be a hard-fought game," Archibald said. "Theyre a good team. I thought we had a real strong game. I liked the way we played tonight. We stuck with it."

It was an important victory for the Comets, who were without points leader Alex Grenier and defenseman Evan McEneny because the parent Vancouver Canucks are dealing with a mumps outbreak among five players. Combined with St. Johns overtime loss to Albany on Friday, the Comets pulled within three points of the IceCaps for the fourth and final North Division playoff spot with 23 games remaining in the regular season.

"It was a big win. It was really good team effort," Comets coach Travis Green said. "Every win is big this time of the year. You dont beat teams like that unless you dont have everyone going and we had everyone going tonight."

First period

The Comets struck first to win a back-and-forth opening 20 minutes.

Utica got on the board on a nice play by Pascal Pelletier, Mike Zalewski and Subban. Just after the Comets held the Penguins (37-13-3-0; four consecutive losses) in check on their first power play, Pelletier won a puck battle near center ice and found Zalewski near the Penguins blue line. The forward broke into the zone and sent a short pass to a streaking Subban, who buried his 13th of the season high over Tristan Jarry (23 saves) from the right circle. Subban is tied for second among defensemen in goals.

Second period

The Comets continued to pressure they outshot the Penguins 15-13 and were rewarded near the middle of the period.

However, the Penguins thought they made it 1-1 less than four minutes in. Ryan Haggerty had a short breakaway, but Demko sprawled out to make a pad stop on the right side. An official review confirmed no goal.

Archibalds strong speedy effort to get past a Penguins defenseman gave the Comets a 2-0 lead with 10:17 remaining. It was the second goal in three games for Archibald, who has played in every contest this season

"Im just trying to be a dominant, physical force every night," Archibald said.

Demko turned aside several good chances on the Penguins third power play near the middle of the period to keep it 2-0.

"(Demko) was good tonight. He had some confidence and you could tell," Green said.

Third period

Despite the Comets not getting a shot on goal until about five minutes left, the game remained unchanged until the Penguins pressured and got the board with 11:10 remaining.

With Andrey Pedan off for tripping, the Penguins broke up Demkos shutout when Tom Kostopoulos directed in a short pass from Dominik Simon for his team-best 19th of the season. It ended a streak of 15 consecutive penalties killed by the Comets.

The Penguins continued to pressure and pulled Jarry late for a 6-for-4 advantage with Pedan in the box again, but Demko and the Comets held them off.

"PK is a tough job out there. You have to get in shot lanes and block shots," Archibald said. "The PK has to bail you out sometimes and come up big."

Up next

The Comets close a five-games-in-seven-days stretch when they travel to Binghamton for a 7 p.m. start Saturday for the first of two meetings against the Senators in the next week. The Comets are 0-2-1 this season against their division rival this season.

NOTES: Fridays game was the 82nd consecutive sellout for the Comets, though there were a few unfilled seats throughout the Aud. Derek Hulak (34 consecutive games) and John Negrin (21 consecutive games) were not in the lineup due to injuries. The Comets are 14-8-7-2 in one-goal games this season.

Comets 2, Penguins 1

W-B/Scranton 0 0 1 1

Utica 1 1 0 2

1st Period-1, Utica, Subban 13 (Zalewski, Pelletier), 10:25. Penalties-Hamilton Uti (tripping), 7:40; Virtanen Uti (high-sticking), 11:34; Burton Wbs (high-sticking), 18:06.

2nd Period-2, Utica, Archibald 17 (Carcone), 9:43. Penalties-Pouliot Wbs (interference), 5:12; Sautner Uti (cross-checking), 10:52; Blueger Wbs (holding), 14:13.

3rd Period-3, W-B/Scranton, Kostopoulos 19 (Simon), 8:50 (PP). Penalties-Pelletier Uti (tripping), 3:02; Pedan Uti (tripping), 7:32; Burton Wbs (hooking), 14:22; Pedan Uti (cross-checking), 17:21; Sundqvist Wbs (high-sticking), 19:17.

Shots on Goal-W-B/Scranton 5-13-10-28. Utica 7-15-3-25.

Power Play Opportunities-W-B/Scranton 1 / 6; Utica 0 / 5.

Goalies-W-B/Scranton, Jarry 22-11-1 (25 shots-23 saves). Utica, Demko 10-11-4 (28 shots-27 saves).

A-3,870.

Referees-Furman South (44). Linesmen-Jim Harper (59), Jason Brown (44).

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Archibald, Demko help Comets edge Penguins - Sports - Uticaod ... - Utica Observer Dispatch

Comets’ comeback falls short in final – SaukValley.com

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MORRISON Standing closer to the scorers table than he was to the 3-point arc, Newmans Eli Leffelman banked in a 3-pointer as time expired in the 2A Morrison Regional championship game on Friday night.

On the Comets previous possession, Brady Osborne knocked down a 3-pointer from the top of the key.

Those long-range shots were more the exception than the rule for Newman, as the Comets missed most of their 3-point chances and fell to the Indians 67-66.

The Comets were just 1-of-6 from 3-point range in the first half, missing the first five before Kyle Schmitt knocked one down with 2:40 remaining in the half. Cade Gorzny added another 3-pointer early in the third, but those were the only two the Comets would hit until the final minute.

With the long-range shot off the mark, the Comets looked for other ways to score.

We had to execute our plays better and start running them through three, four sides, Comets forward Travis Williams said. They did a great job of defending the 3 tonight, but we just had to execute better. We did a better job of that, but we came up short at the end.

Newmans shooting improved, from 7-of-26 (27 percent) from the field in the first half to 13-of-29 (45 percent) in the second half.

The first half, we forced some shots and didnt let the game come to us, Newman coach Ray Sharp said. Sometimes in big games, people try to do too much. We just had to settle down and execute. I thought we did a better job of that in the second half, but we dug too big of a hole and couldnt quite get out of it.

With Newman down 35-23 at halftime, Leffelman began driving to the rim, hitting back-to-back layups to open the third quarter. Williams, Gorzny and John Wilson also hit layups in the third quarter, as the Comets chipped away at the Indians lead, getting within four points.

Several times in the fourth quarter, the Comets were within a single possession. Leffelman hit a free throw with just under 3 minutes to play to cut the deficit to 55-52, then stole the ensuing inbounds pass, but could not connect on an off-balance shot in the lane.

Moments later, Leffelman converted a three-point play to cut the deficit to 57-55. Devon House hit a pair of free throws to cut it to 63-60. After Osbornes 3-pointer, the deficit was 66-63.

But after each of those baskets, Winnebago came through from the free-throw line. The Indians converted 14-of-20 free throws in the fourth quarter, and 20-of-26 in the game.

We hit our free throws, which helped us a lot, and our defense also kind of buckled down, Winnebago center Andrew Morrissey said. We just kept our composure and played our game.

Morrissey finished with 22 points and 14 rebounds for the Indians. He scored 13 of his points in the first half, mostly on putbacks and post moves, then shot 7-of-10 from the free throw line in the second half.

We tried to make sure he couldnt go low on us, make him turn to the middle, Sharp said. He got low about three times the first half and hurt us. Hes just too big to get around, youll never get back to the shot.

The last of Morrisseys free throws came with 4 seconds left to give Winnebago a four-point lead, causing Leffelmans ensuing 3-pointer at the buzzer to only draw the Comets closer, not tie the game.

Newman (25-5) got off to a quick start thanks to its defense. The Comets swiped four steals in Winnebagos first five possessions, three of them by Leffelman, and jumped out to a 6-2 lead.

I dont know why, but we did some crossovers right smack in front of them, Winnebago coach Joe Murphy said. Its easy picks of the pocket. I tried to get the guys out real quick and just settle them down. We told them not to mess with the ball, just go to the rim.

The Indians (17-11) settled in, and the Comets began to struggle with their shooting. Winnebago went on a 17-2 run as Kenzell Jones hit a pair of 3-pointers and added a steal and layup. Meanwhile, Newman went through a stretch of shooting 1-of-12 from the field.

Facing a 19-8 deficit after one, the Comets turned to Williams on the low post, and in the first 2 minutes of the second quarter, he scored eight points to get the Comets back within five.

I knew I had to come out and play really hard in the second quarter, Williams said. I just trust my teammates, and I just turned it on and started to go. I got settled in, and I just started doing my thing.

However, Winnebago answered with an 11-0 run to close the half.

Williams finished the game with 16 points.

Jones scored 17, and Ty Waller had 12 for Winnebago.

Boys basketball

2A Morrison Regional final

Winnebago 67, Newman 66

Star of the game: Andrew Morrissey, Winnebago, 22 points, 14 rebounds

Key performers: Eli Leffelman, Newman, 23 points; Travis Williams, Newman, 16 points, 8 rebounds; Kenzell Jones, Winnebago, 17 points

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Playford lifts Comets over Quincy – Hillsdale.net – The Hillsdale Daily News

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Matthew Lounsberry mlounsberry@hillsdale.net mlounsberryHDN

JONESVILLE Any basketball coach would love to have a player who can knock down seven three-point baskets in a single game.

Jonesville coach Tom Dunn has two.

On Friday against Quincy, Jonesville guard Koryn Playford sank 7-of-12 shots from behind the arc on her way to a career-high 23 points. The seven triples tied the school record that Playfords teammate, Teya Nichols, set in a game earlier this season.

Her confidence level the past couple weeks is coming up, Dunn said of Playford. You can just see it in her eyes and thats a good thing. She kept us in the game tonight. She shot the ball real well.

Playford scored nearly half of her teams points in a 47-36 win over the Orioles.

One of the big things we talked about was getting to their shooters, said Quincy coach Ritch Adams. We knew No. 5 [Nichols] and No. 1 [Playford] were their shooters. We knew where they were going to be, and we didnt get to them. We allowed too many good shots and they made them.

Nichols scored Jonesvilles first five points of the game, and was the second-leading scorer for the Comets on the night with seven.

Quincy jumped to a 10-7 lead in the opening six minutes, led by eight quick points from senior Hannah Economou.

The first half, Economou killed us inside. We gave her way too many easy baskets in the first half, Dunn said. At halftime, we kind of adjusted how we were going to play her, kind of slowed her down a bit.

Two triples from Playford and a pair of free throws from Sarah Dawson gave the Comets a 15-12 lead after the first. Jonesville used that momentum to begin the second quarter on a 6-0 run.

Trailing 21-12, Quincy chipped away at the lead, cutting their deficit to 26-25 by halftime. Economou, however, picked up her third foul late in the half.

That maybe changed the game a little bit, Adams said of Enocomous foul trouble. But [Jonesville] started defending her a little bit different too. They were keeping one person under the basket, and they werent letting us throw over the top. They were doing a good job on the weak side.

Quincy tied the game 32-32 by the end of the third quarter, but Playford opened the fourth with back-to-back three-pointers to give the Comets a six-point lead.

After the Orioles cut their deficit to 40-36, another Playford triple and two scores on inbound plays from Katie Brown gave Jonesville the win.

[Quincy] hung around until the very end until we could pull away, Dunn said.

Quincy was led by Zoe Aseltine with 13 points, while Economou finished with a double-double (12 points, 10 rebounds).

Also for the Orioles, Katie Rathbun had nine points and seven rebounds and Payton Hines added two points, two steals, four rebounds and seven assists.

We didnt execute exactly what we needed to on defense, Adams said. Tuesday against Homer we played terrible, so it did help playing a good game against a good team. Were at the point know, we know we can compete with the good teams.

Playford added four rebounds to her 23 points. Brown finished with six points, eight rebounds and three steals for Jonesville, while Samantha Dunn contributed six points, seven rebounds and three assists.

Dawson had two points, six rebounds, three steals and three assists for the Comets.

Sarah Dawson played outstanding defense tonight, Dunn said.

Jonesville has a quick turnaround, as they travel to Bronson on Monday to face Reading in the district quarterfinals.

We just have to come play defense next week. Were going to live and die on that end of the floor, Dunn said. Weve got to put the ball in the basket, and if we do that, we should be okay.

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HS BASKETBALL: Comets fall to West Scranton in triple OT – Sports … – Scranton Times-Tribune

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Scrantons Blake Carlton breaks out of a double team with crestwoods Lance Bass and Kevin Klusewitz.cv25crest4DAVE SCHERBENCO/CITIZENS VOICE

DAVE SCHERBENCO / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER West Scrantons Josh Hart holds the ball after colliding with Crestwoods Kyle Richards during Fridays game at Berwick.

BERWICK Four quarters and 32 minutes of regulation were not sufficient in deciding Friday nights District 2 Class 5A boys basketball semifinal at Berwick.

In fact, neither were the first two overtimes; nor the first 3:59 of the third overtime.

But finally, in a game where, all along, it felt like the team that last had the ball would win, West Scranton senior Blake Carlton beat the buzzer by draining a 3-pointer from the right wing, giving the Invaders a thrilling 41-38 win against Crestwood.

The shot ended second-seeded Crestwoods season, while third-seeded West Scranton (14-10) clinched a spot in the state tournament, as well as a date with No. 1 Abington Heights in the district final 8 p.m. Friday at Mohegan Sun Arena.

Forty-five years of coaching, Ive been on the good part and the bad part, said West Scranton head coach Jack Lyons. But this is tremendous for these kids. Its one of the best games Ive ever been in. Both teams had a chance to win. It was just an unbelievable game.

The teams traded leads all night and went into overtime tied at 28.

West Scrantons Austin Lipowitch gave his team a 32-31 lead with 30 seconds left in the first overtime.

But on the ensuing Crestwood possession, Noah Jackson drew a foul while trying to put back a basket with 0.8 seconds left. Jackson made 1 of 2 and the teams advanced to a second overtime.

Only four points were scored in the second overtime, as Crestwood had the ball at the end.

Lance Blass missed a contested layup, while Kyle Richards tip-in on the miss also missed, sending the game into a third overtime.

Blass started the third overtime with a pair of free throws, giving Crestwood a 36-34 lead. However, West Scrantons Josh Hart answered with a score in the paint to tie the game.

Hart delivered again at 1:20, pump-faking a layup. He waited for the defender to jump up and come down, as Hart laid it in for the 38-36 lead.

While Kyle Gegaris tied the game with a layup at 0:25, West Scrantons Shayne Merrifield tossed a perfect pass from the left wing to the right wing on the games final possession.

Carlton received the pass, drained the shot and left no time for Crestwood to react.

We had the opportunities and they knocked it down, give the kid a lot of credit, said Crestwood head coach Mark Atherton. It was a battle. Both teams were good defensive teams and it was a battle right down to the end.

Crestwoods Gegaris did an excellent job covering West Scranton leading scorer Cole Stetzar, who was scoreless at halftime. Help defense from Crestwoods bigs played a big part in that, too.

At the end, however, it was Carlton who made the unforgettable game-winner.

I want to first congratulate Crestwood and coach Atherton, Lyons said. Hes a tremendous coach. Those kids played a heck of game. That was just a game that whoevers going to make the last shot is going to win the game.

Contact the writer: mbufano@citizensvoice.com

West Scranton (14-10) J. Hart 6 1-2 13, M. Williams 4 1-2 9, B. Carlton 2 0-0 6, A. Lipowitch 2 2-2 6, C. Stetzar 1 1-1 3, S. Merrifield 1 0-0 3, S. Fanning 0 1-2 1, B. Harrington 0 0-0 0. Totals: 16 6-9 41.

Crestwood (16-8) K. Gegaris 7 3-4 20, E. Knapp 2 0-0 5, L. Blass 1 2-2 4, C. Boris 2 0-0 4, N. Jackson 1 1-1 3, K. Richards 0 2-2 2, K. Klusewitz 0 0-0 0, M. Ayala 0 0-0 0. Totals: 13 8-9 38.

West Scranton 11 4 4 9 4 2 7 41

Crestwood 9 12 5 2 4 2 4 38

3-point goals: B. Carlton (WS) 2, S. Merrifield (WS), K. Gegaris (CRE) 3, E. Knapp (CRE).

Abington Heights 61, Dallas 42

At Scranton, George Tinsley had 15 points and 14 rebounds to lead No. 1 Abington Heights.

Seth Maxwell had 15 points and eight blocks for the Comets and Trey Koehler had 14 points and seven assists.

Nick Kocher had 10 points for No. 5 Dallas.

Dallas (12-12) N. Kocher 4 0-0 10, M. Mathers 4 0-0 8, A. Charlton 2 2-2 7, J. Parsons 2 2-5 6, B. Donahue 2 0-0 5, J. Bittner 1 1-4 4, E. Szczencinski 1 0-2 2, B. OConnell 0 0-0 0, C. Pertl 0 0-0 0, M. Farrell 0 0-0 0, Z. Charlton 0 0-0 0, J. Serafin 0 0-2 0. Totals: 16 5-15 42.

Abington Heights (21-3) S. Maxwell 7 0-1 15, G. Tinsley 6 2-8 15, T. Koehler 5 3-4 14, J. Danzig 4 3-6 12, T. Rothenberger 1 0-0 3, D. Nealon 0 2-2 2, B. Bauman 0 0-0 0, L. Goodman 0 0-2 0, A. Derry 0 0-0 0, J. Nealon 0 0-0 0. Totals: 23 10-23 61.

Dallas 7 6 10 19 42

Abington Heights 17 12 15 17 61

3-point goals: N. Kocher (DAL) 2, B. Donahue (DAL), J. Bittner (DAL), A. Charlton (DAL), T. Rothenberger (AH), S. Maxwell (AH), J. Danzig (AH), G. Tinsley (AH), T. Koehler (AH).

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HS BASKETBALL: Comets fall to West Scranton in triple OT - Sports ... - Scranton Times-Tribune

Depression puts psoriasis patients at significantly greater risk of psoriatic arthritis – Science Daily

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Depression puts psoriasis patients at significantly greater risk of psoriatic arthritis
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Psoriasis is a lifelong disease that is associated with significant cosmetic and physical disability and puts patients at increased risk for many major medical disorders. A multidisciplinary team of researchers at the University of Calgary, Canada ...
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Strongsville man attemps stem cell treatment for MS | WKYC.com – WKYC-TV

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Strongsville man tries stem cell treatment for MS

Monica Robins, WKYC 12:30 AM. EST February 25, 2017

(Photo: Monica Robins, WKYC)

STRONGSVILLE - Multiple Sclerosis is an unpredictable and often disabling neurological disease affecting more than 2 million people worldwide.

There is no cure, but there is hope.

And it may lie in stem cell research, which is both experimental and controversial.

One Strongsville man is willing to take a chance, in the hopes he'll get back some of what the disease has stolen from him.

To look at him, Gary LaBuda appears to be the picture of health. But when you watch him walk, you realize something isn't quite right.

Four years ago, doctors diagnosed the 43-year-old with multiple sclerosis, or MS. A devastating, degenerating neurological disease.

After a year on MS medication, his world changed in a day.

"Every single symptom you could possibly have hit me and literally stopped me from working," he explains. "That day was the last day of my work."

Some of those symptoms included slurring, constant dizziness and migraines, plus heat fatigue.

His vision and cognitive function was also affected, causing him to lose words.

Gary believes the cause was the medication. "Every single side effect you can get from that medication, I got from that medication," he says. "That was over fifty side effects and I had every single one."

Switching medication and dosage didn't help, so Gary stopped taking it.

He started looking for alternatives including cryotherapy and dry needling for constant muscle spasms and tightness, physical therapy for strength.

But now he's trying an experimental option.

Plastic Surgeon Mark Foglietti and Sports Medicine Doctor Michael Kellis each had a keen interest in stem cell science and decided to offer it to patients. They created the Ohio Stem Cell Treatment Center of Cleveland, an affiliate of the National Cell Surgical Network.

There is a disclaimer on their website, indicating the treatment is not FDA approved and not known to cure any disease or injury. Studies have shown the procedure is safe but it's not covered by insurance.

Gary is paying $8,600 for hope.

"There's no guarantee," he says. "But there's also no risk, so it's not gonna hurt nothing."

The procedure involves using liposuction to remove dormant mesenchymal stem cells in Gary's fat tissue. They are activated, or woken up, by being spun in a centrifuge.

20 MS patients have been treated by Foglietti and Kelils so far. They've seen patients show improvement in the mental fog, then speech is improved, followed by decreased muscle spasms and increased coordination.

The procedure for Gary ends with him receiving his own cells in an IV. He's hoping this is the day a miracle will happen and he is grateful for the chance. He won't know for three months if the treatment has worked.

The doctors say they always emphasize to the patient that this treatment may not work for them, it might work for them, it's hard to know. But it is an opportunity to supply a safe, effective alternative to what's not working in medicine.

( 2017 WKYC)

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Strongsville man attemps stem cell treatment for MS | WKYC.com - WKYC-TV

What’s new: ‘Laugh and Learn’ shares humor, spirituality for teens – Deseret News

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"LAUGH AND LEARN," by Hank Smith and Jason Hewlett, Covenant Communications, $12.99, 80 minutes (ages 12 and up)

"Laugh and Learn" is a DVD hosted by two funny, inspirational speakers who share Mormon-themed messages for youths. Hank Smith, a seminary teacher for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and speaker, shares the stage with newcomer Jason Hewlett, a professional presenter.

The setting for the 80-minute DVD presentation is a stage containing two chairs and with the two presenters. Smith leads the presentation and introduces Hewlett to the audience, who are teenagers dressed in Sunday attire.

Smith is known for his humor and entertaining approach to gospel teaching and his presentations at BYU Education Week are always packed. His presentation on this DVD is consistent and entertaining. His funny voices, knowledge of the gospel and self-deprecating manner are charming.

Hewlett commands the stage with his engaging personality, rubber face and dinosaur impersonations. One minute he is rolling around on the stage imitating his young son saying evening prayers and the next minute he's running around the stage with wild eyes and flicking tongue pretending to be a velociraptor.

Rather than a structured presentation, Smith uses a free-form style to direct himself and Hewlett. They take turns responding to topics such as prayer, marriage, children, using social media for good and the Holy Ghost.

The last 16 minutes of the DVD is a separate segment containing a question-and-answer period with youths from the audience. Each approaches an open microphone and asks questions while both speakers provide answers to a number of interesting questions such as the times when the speakers have felt the Holy Spirit the most to handling requests for impersonations.

Smith and Hewlett work well together and feed off of each other's energy. Even though there are a bunch of fun segments on the DVD, Smith does share several serious gospel-themed messages with content appropriate for families, youths and children. Hewlett shares his gospel experiences as well.

"Laugh and Learn" is a great combination of humor and spirituality.

rmorgenegg@desnews.com

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Spirituality: The final answer and the one after that – Elmira Star-Gazette

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Spirituality: The final answer and the one after that
Elmira Star-Gazette
I once had a conversation with a patient that reminded me of that moment in Who Wants to be a Millionaire? when the host asks the guest, Is that your final answer? The man was nearly 60 with a fixable heart problem. He hadn't made many friends in ...

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Spirituality center offers Lenten programs – La Crosse Tribune

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The Franciscan Spirituality Center, 920 Market St., offers the following programs and retreats during Lent:

Franciscan Day of Solitude: Program designed to relieve life's stresses and demands; 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday, March 14 and April 11; $25 includes lunch and all supplies.

Drawn to the Word: Program featuring stories and artwork with artist and pastor Paul Oman; 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, March 18; $50 includes lunch.

Loving the Crucified Christ in the Spirit of St. Francis and St. Clare: Retreat led by Jolynn Brehm of the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration; March 19-24; $225 (includes lunch) and $375 (includes lodging and meals).

Holy Resistance, Sacred Surrender: Retreat led by Mary Kay Glazer that looks at Scripture passages and other writings; 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, March 25; $40 (includes lunch).

Passion and Resurrection of Jesus in the Gospel of John: Series led by biblical scholar John McHugh, first two weeks focus on the Passion, second two weeks explore the Resurrection; 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 4, 11, 18 and 25; $10 each or $35 for all four.

Triduum Retreat Going Deeper into the Mystery: Series to learn more about the Paschal Mystery, which for many Christians is at the heart of their faith and the reason for hope; 9 to 10 a.m. Thursday through Saturday, April 13-16; $30 (commuters) and $200 (includes lodging and meals).

Justice and Peace Stations of the Cross: Free, 2-mile walk from the heart of La Crosse to the Mississippi River, with prayer and singing at places that represent suffering in our community and world; 10 a.m. Friday, April 14; no registration necessary.

Weekend of Solitude A Silent Directed Retreat: Participants will meet each day with the spiritual director, along with access to an art room, and quiet spaces for reading, journaling or relaxing; April 21-23; $175, includes meals and lodging.

For more information or to register for any of these events, call 608-791-5295 or go to http://www.fscenter.org

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Spirituality center offers Lenten programs - La Crosse Tribune

How can I foster a relationship with my guardian angel? – Aleteia EN

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God has given each of us a guardian angel to accompany us on our journey to heaven and eternal life. But how should we interact with this spiritual being who is always with us?

First off, we should think of our guardian angels as friends. There arent any secrets between us, as they see everything we do. Its a good idea to greet them and ask for their assistance during the day.

And why not also form the habit of mentally greeting the guardian angels of those we meet?

This will help us to treat the person, whether he be an acquaintance or a family member, with the respect his human dignity deserves.

Angels know things much better than we do. Recall the dialogue Tobias had with the angel Rafael in the book of Tobit 5:5-6:

Tobias said to him, Do you know the way to Media? Yes, he replied, I have been there many times. I know the place well and am acquainted with all the routes.

So we can also ask our angels for advice whenever were in a difficult or dangerous situation. Their assistance is important particularly in moments of temptation. Remember, their mission is to keep us from sin and guide us to heaven.

Many spiritual greats have given us insights into how to foster a relationship with our guardian angels.

According to an account in the Encyclopedia of Angels, Pope Pius XI confided to the future Pope John XXIII that when he had a particularly difficult issue to resolve with someone, he would send his guardian angel to first discuss it with that persons guardian angel. If there was disagreement, he might even ask that persons guardian angel to help him to understand the others point of view. The accord of the angels, the pope said, would make it easier for the human interlocutors to come to an agreement.

Padre Pio would ask his spiritual children to send him their guardian angels whenever they had a need. The saint often wouldnt sleep at night for all the time it took him to attend to the needs of his spiritual children as presented to him by their guardian angels.

Read more: Padre Pio on listening to your guardian angel

St. Therese of Lisieux wrote a poem to her guardian angel. Part of it recounts how she used her guardian angel to keep her close to those she loved.

O thou who speedest through all space More swiftly than the lightnings fly! Go very often, in my place, To those I love most tenderly. With thy soft touch, oh! dry their tears; Tell them the cross is sweet to bear; Speak my name softly in their ears, And Jesus name, supremely fair.

Its also good to remember that not only people have guardian angels, but that corporations, parishes, dioceses, cities and other entities are dedicated to the care of the angels.

When St. John Vianney arrived to Ars, sensitive as he was to the spiritual realm, he greeted the angel of the parish and the guardian angels of all his parishioners.

St. Francis de Sales, in a letter to a bishop, recommended that he invoke the angel of his diocese.

And in Portugal, there is a feast for the angel of the country, the same one who appeared to the little shepherds of Fatima.

Whats most important is that we try to imitate the guardian angels, seeking to be like angels for other people, doing all we can to assist their journey to heaven, where one day, all of us together, saints and angels, will contemplate the face of God.

Read more: 5 Amazing facts about guardian angels

Translated and adapted from Aleteias Spanish edition.

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How can I foster a relationship with my guardian angel? - Aleteia EN

Finding spirituality in Seuss – Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier

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There is an enduring quality to the works of Dr. Seuss.

On March 2, fans of the beloved author will celebrate the anniversary of his birth. Kids of all ages clamor for Cat in the Hat parties and public readings of his works.

Seuss was born Theodor Seuss Geisel in 1904 in Springfield, Mass. He published his first book, And to Think that I Saw it on Mulberry Street, in 1937.

Today, his books are still published in dozens of languages. Some charts rank his Green Eggs and Ham as third on the list of the best-selling English language books of all time, second to Websters dictionary and King James Version of the Bible. There was even a Latin edition of Green Eggs and Ham published in 2004, which sold more than 600,000 copies.

While considered a childrens author, many of Seuss works carried underlying adult themes. According to biographers Judith and Neil Morgan, Seuss purposely infused books like The Lorax, Horton Hears a Who and The Sneetches with his political beliefs on environmentalism, isolationism and racial intolerance.

Some of us take Seuss content and view it through our own lens, too, adding even more meaning to the beloved stories.

Consider Oh the Places Youll Go. Its written in a way that makes it easy to apply to a host of milestones. As a result, its often given as a gift for births, baptisms, marriage and more.

One blogger received a special copy of the book for her high school graduation many years ago. Hers contained handwritten Bible verses that corresponded to the story.

For example, there is a page with a confusing series of paths, accompanied by the words, Youre on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the guy wholl decide where you go.

Psalm 119:105: Your word is a lamp unto my feet and a light to my path is written on one of the pages paths.

It may then be natural to infer religious and moral themes from Seuss works.

You could read The Lorax Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. Its not and expound on its moral imperative. Or take Kid, youll move mountains from Oh, the Places Youll Go from a spiritual perspective.

The Rev. Robert L. Short wrote The Parables of Dr. Seuss, in which he mines the subtle messages of Christian doctrine contained in stories like How the Grinch Stole Christmas and Green Eggs and Ham.

Shorts book frames Seuss as a first-class Christian-thinker. For example, Short likens Horton from Horton Hears a Who as a savior figure.

I was amazed at what I found when I started looking at it all this Christian imagery was very carefully factored into his stories, Short told the Associated Press after the books publication.

The retired Presbyterian minister also wrote similar books based on Charles Schultzs Peanuts Gang and did presentations on Calvin and Hobbes and the last episode of Cheers.

Some pair Shorts Seuss book with The Gospel According to Dr. Seuss by the Rev. James W. Kemp, a retired United Methodist pastor. This book contains Bible studies, and a reader guide is available.

Email me or follow me at Twitter.com/karrisgolden for links to Seuss-themed games, printables, event information and the Bible-verse Oh, the Places Youll Go.

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Finding spirituality in Seuss - Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier

Tapping into the wedding spirit – Pocono Record

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LOIS HECKMAN

Spiritual. When asked about their beliefs, this is what I often hear from couples who wish to be married. But what exactly does this mean? Literally, spiritual means relating to things of the human spirit rather than material or physical things. But in a more religious context it can mean a wide range of ideas.

For some it means they embrace the idea that there is more to life than what we see, while rejecting the dogma of organized religion. They feel a connection to something beyond themselves they may call the Divine, the universe, the sacred, God, or it might even remain nameless.

Spirituality can be a very open-ended concept, and is not incompatible with religion or belief in God.

In the latest Gallup poll Americans are still predominately Christian. 69% of us are Protestant, Catholic or other Christian denominations; Mormons are 2% and Jews are 3%, the other category is only 5%, which surprised me because it seemed so small, and 18% have no religious identity (2% did not respond). Other polling sources come out with similar, if not identical, results.

However, Gallup did not offer the category spiritual as an option. If they had, my guess is the numbers would have looked very different.

I have met with many couples who want to connect to their faith traditions, but in ways that are more compatible with a 21st century view of the world which includes science and our evolving ideas and knowledge. Think about Galileo and the Church in 1600s for a great example of what happens when dogma trumps progress.

So how does one honor spiritual ideas and values in a wedding ceremony? There are probably as many ways to express it, as there are different paths of spirituality itself.

Sometimes I simply make a statement of fact, saying that the couple share a sense of spirituality, and perhaps try to describe it, if possible. For example, they find peace and meaning in nature.

Other times we include specific poems, excerpts or quotes from various sources, that reflect their worldview. There is wisdom everywhere, and it doesnt take long to find it.

Some of my favorites sources are in poetry and literature, along with classics such as Rumi, Kahlil Gibran, Celtic writings, Lao Tse, and Buddha; but it is the couple themselves who will direct me to the right inspiration. The texts of Hinduism (the Vedas), and of course the Torah and the Bible all contain beautiful and meaningful words. There are scientists such as Neil DeGrasse Tyson and naturalists such as John Muir, who have written eloquently about our place in the universe.

Beyond words, there are rituals that connect us to earth, air, water, fire, nature, culture, ethnicity, history, art and family. The possibilities are endless, and its always challenging and exciting to explore how we humans view our place in the world.

To me, being spiritual means putting great value on love and goodness in the world. What could be more beautiful than that?

Lois Heckman is a certified Celebrant. She writes about creating meaningful weddings, focusing on ceremony and ritual, diversity, with a touch of the humor and the unusual. http://www.LoisHeckman.com

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Tapping into the wedding spirit - Pocono Record

Specious ‘Scientific’ Spirituality – Conatus News

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When Stephen Jay Gould, the great educator and geologist spoke of the relationship between the spiritual sphere and the scientific sphere, he said that science and religion were non-overlapping magisteria or NOMA as it now shorthanded. By this, Gould meant that religion and Science do not hold a competing view of reality, and one should not try to annex the territory of the other. Gould in what Hitchens described as an overcompensation for a misspent youth of Marxism alleged the two disciplines could be happy neighbours in an unentangled dualism.

We still live with the turmoil created from the popular turf-war between the emotionally-satisfied believer and the dorky debunker: New Atheism still attempts to roll-back religion as the believer pleas for respect and equal time in classrooms. The immovable object and unstoppable force meet in a perpetual collision at School Boards around the US, at protests and counter-protests, and counter-counter-protests. However, the argument has evolved or at least mutated and I say this with only a tinge of irony.

An order of social scientists on the political left blabber on about how we have entered post-modernity to a point of indulgence. Post-modernity means we have ventured from the mass-consumption of modernism where everyone gets a can of Coke, to the niche and self-tailored post-modern consumers who demand a double-espresso with cheese and vinegar, because they live such individual and interesting lives. People will demand more from their lives, more bangs for their bucks and more pyrotechnics for their pounds; we to take them to new and interesting directions: from areas as disparate as fashion to finance to finger-painting; oh yes, grown men finger-painting, it happens. People in postmodernity will throw-off the old metanarratives that tell you have to live life for a more thrilling and sexy story.

Our spiritual lives have a comparable thirst for novelty; we crave the numinous and Marxs traditional opioids bore us. We want a new and better form of energy. Alas energy is channeled in our case via a kitsch crystal from Griselda the Wise: the rituals and consecrations of yesteryear are day-by-day replaced by the hip drum-circles of a newer and cooler spirituality, and like the shackles of older faiths we ignore the discord between the evidence reality and our feelings. Our secular life is increasingly dogged by the same faith-based arguments, but they are now shrouded in psuedo-academese and appeal to the high lords of uncredible gobbledegook, twaddle, and tosh, and even more unfortunately: they fool many of our so-called educated class.

Spiritualism was a popular mythology in the early 20th century. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle when he was not writing about the skeptical adventures of Detective Sherlock Holmes was himself a believer in fairies and a proponent of outliving death. Post-modernism whos very ugly step-child is Hipsterism has resurrected this mess of a movement with not just wood-headed hippie dippies, but with public officials whose belief that all truth is relative invades public life.

The invasion of pseudo-science and psychic nonsense surfaced as far back a the Reagan administration. The culprits were and indeed still are charlatans at best and ignoramuses at worst. The novel cults of unreason interested Mr. Reagan and his wife Nancy; both were keenly aware of astrology and invited a California-based astrologer to advise her on numerous occasions. This same astrologer told the New York Times she had no influence over policy. However,I hold a healthy skepticism towards her claim. How could she not have a large influence if her advicewas truly heralded? If Reagan discovered more about his own psychic state: how his lifecycles, relationships and discovering and achieving his goals; then how can this possibly stayout of his political life? Surely he would feel he were doing a disservice to not share his mostpsychically-revealed self.

Everyone is well-aware that the allegedly rational candidate for President Hillary Clinton is afollower and admirer of the waffler Deepak Chopra. Deepak is a man whose primary occupation is to sell books to the credulous and scientifically ignorant. A recent sparring matchbetween Deepak and science communicator Professor Brian Cox in the quantum soup Deepakwould call twitter sparked due to Deepaks meaningless statement that The universe isexperienced in consciousness, known in consciousness & made out of consciousness.

Many of the more scientifically literate members of the public know to scoff at Deepaks bullshit (to quote Richard Dawkins),but the former first lady of the United States does not. Infact, Dawkins notes in The Enemies of Reason that Deepak was Hillary Clintons spiritualadviser. How can we trust a woman so ignorant of the rules of evidence to make good decisionson anything at all? Let alone Science! Yes, sure, she has a Science Advisory Committee, butshe is the one who appoints them. How long until quack pseudo-scientists and homeopaths getpromoted to counsel her?

A post-modern society rejects the enlightenment and is the epitome of the feels overrealszeitgeist. Bleakly, this is the mentality of a large fraction of the college-aged and overly educated,and thus the same data deprivation translates neatly into the identity politickingmyself and others lament. When one places evidence as secondary to data there is literally norational argument that can be had. Is the answer for more scientists to go into politics? Do wehave to make politicians take science modules so they can be informed? Do we tell the college-agedto shut their whiny mouths if they cannot debate reason with reason?

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Specious 'Scientific' Spirituality - Conatus News

BENES: Humility is the key – San Angelo Standard Times

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Becky Benes, Special to the Standard-Times Published 1:04 a.m. CT Feb. 25, 2017 | Updated 4 hours ago

SAN ANGELO For the past 10 months, I have suffered from yet another frozen shoulder. Yes, this is now the left shoulder. The first week of February, I had had it. The pain was too much to bear. I finally was willing to succumb to another hormone shot, something I resist and avoid at all costs. However, the doctor was not available until April.

In my desperation, I had a very passionate "come to Jesus meeting and demanded a solution." After all, I had done everything within my power to unfreeze it and rectify it to health. I had prayed, used positive affirmations and every holistic means possible. I was miffed that my shoulder was not healed. After all, I did have the faith at least the size of a mustard seed, so what was up with this deal?

As I left my "come to Jesus" meeting, this is the awareness I gleaned: "Becky, you are a spiritual snob. You are full of spiritual pride."

What does that mean?

"It means you have never surrendered this to me nor taken advice I have set your way. You think you are too "spiritual" to ask others to pray for you or to seek help."

The tears began to fall. Wow, this was so true. Humbled to the core, I became willing to ask for prayer and help.

Miraculously, when I got home, I had a message that my doctor could fit me in the next morning.

After meeting with the doctor, I was informed that a shot was not an option and surgery was the plan. Plus, he had an opening in less than 48 hours. I was dumbfounded and taken off guard. This was not my plan, I was willing for a shot, but surgery was too much.

In complete surrender, I reached out to my coach and close spiritual friends to help me walk this journey. My spiritual pride, which I had never noticed before, was having a field day. Ringing thoughts in my ears so loud, I could no longer deny it was there. The thoughts were things like, "If you were more spiritual, you would have been healed. If you had any faith at all, you would not need surgery. Then it would flip, saying, "Don't let them do it, you know better than the doctor, you can heal yourself, you just need more time." Sadly, I could go on.

Eventually, a friend suggested, "Becky, would you consider that the doctor and the surgery are the vehicles through which God is offering healing? Perhaps, this is your miracle." This was a huge breakthrough for me. I had forgotten that it is my job to ask and God's job to deliver. And God's plan might not be my plan. And that God works through all people.

That evening, I humbly asked people to pray for me via Facebook. This was a huge step for me, it was public expression of my complete surrender that I couldn't but God could through the hands and feet of others, if I was willing to be open to receive it.

Eight days after my surgery, in my meditation book, Around the Year with Emmet Fox, Feb. 18, the entire page addresses spiritual pride. Fox, in his discourse about the verse in the Lord's Prayer, "Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil," suggests that those of us who pray become more sensitive and more powerful in our prayers. This also makes one susceptible to different forms of temptations, like "to work for self-glory, for personal distinction; and beyond all other temptations the deadly sin of spiritual pride."

Fox goes on to say, "Many who have surmounted all other testings have lapsed into self-righteousness, that has fallen like a curtain of steel between them and God."

Wow, if that is not the icing on the cake. I have read this book for years and have never seen or read this passage. Now in black and white, there it is. Plain and clear just for me. What a humbling experience and yet another reminder of the process of spiritual unfoldment. This brings home the Zen saying, "Before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood and carry water."

Spiritual growth is an on-growing process, not a goal or an end-result we achieve. However, if we become self-righteous (all-knowing) believing we are better or less than another in any area of our life be it spiritual, political or professional, a steel curtain separates us from God and others. We gridlock and become closed to different perspectives and ideas. Our hearts and minds become solid and not fluid with possibilities.

Perhaps humility is the key to lift the steel curtain that stands in our way of our union with God.

It's something to consider.

Becky Benes, a resident of San Angelo, is a transformational speaker and certified business coach. Her column appears on the second and fourth Saturday of the month. For more information, go to OnenessOfLife.com.

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BENES: Humility is the key - San Angelo Standard Times

Horror movie ‘Life’ draws upon real-life biology and worst-case space scenarios – GeekWire

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An astronaut administers a shock to an alien life form in a Petri dish aboard the International Space Station, in a scene from the movie Life. Bad idea? (CTMG via YouTube)

A real-life organism provides the inspiration for the alien monster at the center of Life, ahorror movie thats set on the International Space Station. But youd never guess which one.

Would you believe slime mold?

We used that as a model, working with the effects team, but ramped it up enormously, said Adam Rutherford, who served as a science consultant for the film. Moviegoers can get a glimpse at the results in the online trailers for Life, which opens in theaters on March 24.

Rutherford didnt just throw a dart at the tree of life to select slime mold. Its a weird kind of fungus-like critter that can be considered a one-celled or multicellular organism. Studies have shown that although it doesnt have a brain, it seems to be capable of learning and even figuring out railway routes.

Thats not a bad model for a fictional organism from Mars that combines neural and muscular functions in one cell. And its not a bad pick for Rutherford, a geneticist who also helped out with the AI movie Ex Machina and wrote a book titled Creation about the origin and future of life.

No one goes to a space horror flick for a science lecture, but the producers of Life took pains to throw in some real-life background about astrobiology, the challenges of studying samples from an alien world, and how to deal with a medical emergency on the space station.

One of the reasons it works so well is because its set in the near future, Rutherford told GeekWire.

China is already gearing up to bring samples back from the moon, as early as this year, and NASAs 2020 Mars rover is expected to lay the groundwork for an eventual Mars sample return mission.

Scientistsare thinking through all the protocols that will be needed to keep Martian samples from getting contaminated by terrestrial life forms, and to keep any potential life forms from getting into earthly environments.

The most likely scenario calls for sending a sealed sample canister directly back to Earth, for study in a specially built containment facility. In contrast, the movie plot is built around the idea that astronauts will study the sample on the space station, supposedly for safetys sake. Of course, something goes wrong.

In real life, the space stations crew would stick to very rigorous protocols to absolutely minimize risk of contamination, Rutherford said. But it wouldnt be much of a space horror thriller, he added.

Dealing with an alien outbreak isnt exactly on NASAs list of potential medical emergencies. But the films producers did want to stick as close to the space stations medical procedures as they could. So, they called in Kevin Fong, an expert on space medicine from University College London, to help keep the plot on the right side of plausibility.

They invented some capabilities that dont exist on the current International Space Station, Fong told GeekWire. I was really gobsmacked by just how much effort they put into creating these fictional modules.

Fong pointed out that the real space station has nothing like the capabilities of a hospital. The average medical astronaut is not thinking about doing open-heart surgery, he said.

Crew memberscan handle minor medical upsets, and theyre trained to deal with the two big emergency scenarios that is, explosive decompression or fire. But if an astronaut is facing a life-threatening medical condition such as acute appendicitis or a heart attack, youd be looking to come home fairly sharpish on a Russian Soyuz spacecraft, Fong said.

The filmmakers turned things up a couple of notches for Life, andFong is happy with the results.

I cant speak for the whole film, he said, but for the bits that were medical it was all pretty close to the bone of what reality would be.

For the bits that were physical, the filmmakers turned to Rudi Schmidt, an Austrian scientist who has worked on a long string of space missions for the European Space Agency and served as a consultant for The Martian, one of moviedoms most successful hard-sci-fisagas.

Schmidt advised the actors on how to move in zero gravity, even when they were harnessed in ropes and wires that had to be digitally removed during post-production.

The result, he told GeekWire, is probably as realistic as you can get on the ground.

Schmidt also dealt with questions from filmmakers and actors about life in space. He recalled that Russian actress Olga Dihovichnaya whoplays the space stations commander asked him what it was like to cry in space.

Its different from crying on Earth, because theres no gravity, Schmidt explained. The tears just stick to your eyes. They do not roll down on the cheek. They just stay in the eyes, getting bigger and bigger and bigger. So in the end, the idea of crying [in the movie] was not a really good one. (Check out Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfields video demonstrating the real-life effect.)

As a scientist whos actually managed a mission to Mars, Schmidt is also well-placed to weigh in on whether samples from the Red Planet would carry anything like the monster that gets loose in Life.

Schmidt said that samples of Martian rock and soil couldhold evidence for fossilized ancient life, but almost certainly nothing dangerous. Nobody, including myself, would expect that well bring back a living organism from Mars, he said.

Just keep telling yourself that after youve seen Life.

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Horror movie 'Life' draws upon real-life biology and worst-case space scenarios - GeekWire

Space Matter: Public (and Private) Space Stations – Paste Magazine

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Space Matter is a weekly column that delves into space science and the mechanics of spaceflight. From the latest discoveries in the universe around us to the fits and starts of rocket test flights, youll find analysis, discussion, and an eternal optimism about space and launching ourselves into the cosmos.

We all are aware that the International Space Station is out there, in low Earth orbitbut did you know that there are two other space stations up there as well? Or that the first private space station is currently in development? We have a rich history of space stations, from Skylab to Mir and beyond.

Americas first space station was Skylabwhich was never actually intended or built for that use. Skylab was actually the unused upper stage of a Saturn IVB rocket. It launched in 1973 aboard the last Saturn V rocket and hosted three manned missions before falling back to Earth in 1979. The retrofitted rocket stage was never intended to be a long-term space station, but it proved to Americans that humans can live and work in space. It also advanced space science considerably through its onboard workshop and solar observatory.

The Skylab space station. Photo courtesy of NASA

After Skylab, attention turned to the Space Shuttle program, which was launched on April 12, 1981. The orbiter fleet boasted a large payload bay that was perfect for conducting experiments in space. While we were focusing on a reusable space vehicle, the Russians were still using their trusty Soyuz capsules (still in use today) and instead turned their focus to building a space station.

Between 1971 and 1982, the Russians successfully launched six Salyut space stations. (Salyut 2 was unable to achieve a stable orbit, falling back into the atmosphere two weeks after launch). The last of these, Salyut 7 was in orbit from 1982 through 1991, with 10 manned visits over its lifetime. Through their experience with these space stations, the Russians became experts at living and working in space.

In 1986, the Russians launched Mir, the worlds first modular space station. This means that, much like the ISS, the station consisted of a core that was launched first. Over time, a total of six additional modules were launched and assembled in space, expanding the station over the years. It was on Mir that extended spaceflight became normal; expeditions generally lasted around six months (the same as the ISS).

The United States had plans to build a Mir counterpart: the Freedom space station. In the early 1980s, it was envisioned as a space-based destination at which orbiters could dock. Its cancellation (due to budget and design issues) was part of the reason the shuttle program came under such heavy fire: we spent an extraordinary amount of money to build a reusable space vehicle, but in the end, we had nowhere to actually send it.

The United States wasnt the only country with a desire to launch a space station; the European space agency was also interested in such an endeavor. Russia, in addition, was planning on launching Mir 2 to replace its aging space station. However, a space station is an expensive and difficult proposition, which led to the cooperative development of the International Space Station (among the United States, Russia, Japan, Canada, and the European Space Agency) in 1993, using Freedom and Mir 2 concepts as its core modules.

The International Space Station. Photo courtesy of NASA

The ISS has been in orbit since its launch in 1998; it has been continuously occupied since its first long duration crew arrived on Expedition 1 in November 2000. The station is funded through 2024 by both the U.S. and Russia (though that may be extended to 2028). Its unclear what will come next; Roscosmos (Russias space agency counterpart to NASA) made a statement in early 2015 that the U.S. and Russia had agreed to work on a follow-up space station, but NASA hasnt confirmed that statement.

Regardless of what happens with the future of the International Space Station, its clear that space stations are here to stay. China has launched two space stations: Tiangong-1 and Tiangong-2, which are both currently in orbit. Tiangong-1, designed as a prototype to test the rendezvous and docking of Chinese spacecraft, was only in use for two years. Its orbit is decaying, and it will reenter the atmosphere later this year.

Tiangong-2 is another test space station launched in late 2016, as China plans to launch a larger modular space station to rival the ISS in 2022 (in mission, if probably not in sizethe International Space Station is the most expensive object ever constructed). Tiangong-2 has only been visited oncea two-person crew stayed aboard the station for 30 days.

But its not China or Russia or the United States who are making headlines about space stationsits private companies. Could a private company launch a space station by the end of the decade? Its absolutely possible. Axiom Space, a company youve likely never heard of, is aiming to be the first company to build a private space station.

Axiom is planning on launching the Multi-Purpose Module in 2020, designed as an add-on for the International Space Station. Whether it is launched all at once or assembled in orbit remains to be seen; however, when its ready, it will fly to the ISS (yes, it will have its own engines). Their current plan is to dock it to, and therefore expand, the ISS. When the International Space Station eventually deorbits, the Multi-Purpose Module will undock and function as an independent, private space station.

Theres a lot of money in a private space station; the customers wouldnt be private individuals wanting to go to space (though that is an option). There are many countries that aspire to send their astronauts into orbit. The ISSs max capacity is eight astronauts, and because were all currently dependent on Soyuz to get us there, were further constrained. Russian Soyuz capsules can only hold three astronauts each. Once private human spaceflight is off the ground (primarily through SpaceXs Dragon), that will ease the transportation issues, but the destination constraints are still considerable. Thats where Axiom hopes to step in.

Whether public or private, space stations are here to stay. Lets hope that as the ability to get off of our planet and live and work in space becomes easier and more possible, it encourages all of us to set our sights on destinations beyond low Earth orbit.

Top photo courtesy of NASA/ESA

Swapna Krishna is a freelance writer, editor, and giant space/sci-fi geek.

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Space Matter: Public (and Private) Space Stations - Paste Magazine

NASA studying whether to add astronauts to first launch of new super booster – Spaceflight Now

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STORY WRITTEN FORCBS NEWS& USED WITH PERMISSION

NASA managers said Friday they hope to know within a month or so whether it might be feasible or advisable to put two astronauts on board the first test flight of a huge 322-foot-tall Space Launch System super booster scheduled for its maiden launch late next year.

The study, requested by the Trump administration, already is underway, but William Hill, deputy associate administrator for Exploration Systems Development at NASA Headquarters, said major technical challenges will need to be resolved, and the agency will need more money to make it happen.

Its going to take a significant amount of money, and money that will be required fairly quickly to implement what we need to do, he told reporters. So its a question of how we refine the funding levels and the phasing of the funding for the next three years and see where it comes out.

If the feasibility study doesnt pan out, he said, we still have a very exciting mission.

The current plan calls for launching a Block 1 SLS rocket in late 2018 Exploration Mission 1, or EM-1 to boost an unpiloted Orion capsule on a three-week flight beyond the moon and back to a high-speed re-entry and splashdown.

EM-2, featuring an astronaut crew, would be launched atop a Block 1B SLS rocket in the late 2021 timeframe. Unlike the EM-1 rocket, the Block 1B version of the SLS would feature a more powerful, human-rated exploration upper stage, or EUS.

The long-range plan, with its roots in the Obama administration, is to use the SLS to send astronauts beyond the moon in the mid 2020s, first to rendezvous with a robotically retrieved asteroid, or chunk of an asteroid, and then to orbit Mars in the 2030s.

The long gap between the SLSs initial test flight and the piloted EM-2 mission, driven in large part by NASAs budget and a variety of technical hurdles, has raised concerns in some quarters about maintaining public and congressional support in a program with years between flights and competing demands on agency funding.

President Trumps transition team asked NASA to look into the possibility of either moving EM-2 earlier or adding astronauts to EM-1. Hill said the latter option was more realistic than the former because of major infrastructure modifications that will be needed to support the larger Block 1B SLS.

But there are major technical challenges with speeding up Orion development for an earlier-than-panned human mission.

We know there are certain systems that needed to be added to EM-1 to add crew, said Bill Gerstenmaier, director of space operations at NASA Headquarters, including a life support system, a waste management system, operational cockpit displays and an operational abort system, all big-ticket items.

In addition, the interim upper stage used by the Block 1 SLS is not certified for human flights. While a similar stage has flown flawlessly atop Delta 4 rockets, additional tests would be required and procedures put in place to ensure crew safety if a malfunction occurs.

So we have a good, crisp list of all the things we would physically have to change from a hardware standpoint, Gerstenmaier said. Then we asked the team to take a look at what additional tests would be needed to add crew, what the additional risk would be, and then we also wanted the teams to talk about the benefits of having crew on the first flight.

The risk-benefit trade will be a crucial element of the review. NASAs Aerospace Advisory Panel met Thursday and in a statement, chairwoman Patricia Sanders cautioned the agency not to pursue an early piloted mission without strong technical justification.

NASA should provide a compelling rationale, in terms of benefits gained in return for accepting additional risk, and fully and transparently acknowledge the tradeoffs being made, she said. If the benefits warrant assumption of additional risk, we expect NASA to clearly and openly articulate their decision process and rationale.

In a Feb. 17 memo to agency employees, acting Administrator Robert Lightfoot raised the possibility of adding astronauts to Exploration Mission-1.

I know the challenges associated with such a proposition, like reviewing the technical feasibility, additional resources needed, and clearly the extra work would require a different launch date, he wrote. That said, I also want to hear about the opportunities it could present to accelerate the effort of the first crewed flight and what it would take to accomplish that first step of pushing humans farther into space.

The SLS-Orion missions, coupled with those promised from record levels of private investment in space, will help put NASA and America in a position to ensure this nations world preeminence in exploring the cosmos, he wrote.

In its initial configuration, the SLS Block 1 rocket will be made up of two shuttle-heritage five-segment solid-fuel boosters provided by Orbital ATK and a huge first stage powered by four hydrogen-burning RS-25 space shuttle main engines built by Aerojet Rocketdyne.

The Block 1 version features an interim upper stage derived from United Launch Alliances Delta 4 rocket powered by a single hydrogen-fueled Aerojet Rocketdyne RL-10B2 engine.

Even in its initial configuration, the giant SLS rocket will generate a ground-shaking 8.8 million pounds of thrust 15 percent more than NASAs legendary Saturn 5 moon rocket enough to boost the 5.75 million-pound rocket out of the dense lower atmosphere. Together with the second stage engine, the SLS Block 1 will be able to put 154,000 pounds into low-Earth orbit.

NASA eventually plans to build a Block 2 version of the SLS feature advanced strap-on boosters with a liftoff thrust of 9.2 million pounds.

Gerstenmaier said the agency was not under any political pressure to put astronauts aboard EM-1, saying this is something well go evaluate and well see what the results look like coming out the other side.

But it will not be easy. To convert the EM-1 Orion into a piloted version, life support and other critical systems will be required, along with extensive testing, adding to the missions price tag and inevitably delaying the flight. The flight would be limited to two astronauts on a free-return trajectory around the moon lasting eight to nine days.

Gerstenmaier said if the study shows the Orion spacecraft cannot be prepared for flight before the end of 2019 it likely would make more sense to stick with the original timeline and fly EM-1 uncrewed.

NASAs current deep space exploration program has its roots in presidential politics and agendas dating back to the shuttle Columbias destruction during re-entry in 2003.

In the wake of the disaster, the Bush administration directed NASA to finish the International Space Station and retire the shuttle by the end of the decade and to focus instead on building new rockets and spacecraft for a return to the moon in the early 2020s. Antarctica-style moon bases were envisioned as both a science initiative and as stepping stones to eventual flights to Mars.

NASA came up with the Constellation program and began designing a new Saturn 5-class super rocket to boost lunar modules and habitats to the moon, along with a smaller rocket to carry astronauts to low-Earth orbit. The crew capsule was called Orion and the plan was to link up with the lunar lander/habitat in Earth orbit and then head for the moon.

After the 2008 presidential campaign, President Barack Obama ordered a review of NASAs human space program. A presidential panel concluded Constellation was over budget and unsustainable, suggesting instead that NASA adopt a flexible path architecture, bypassing the moon in favor of a manned flight to an asteroid and an eventual flight to orbit Mars.

The Obama administrations Office of Science and Technology Policy ultimately approved a two-tiered approach to human spaceflight. It retained the Constellation programs Orion capsule, built by Lockheed Martin, and ordered NASA to build a single large rocket what became the Space Launch System for deep space exploration.

At the same time, the agency has awarded contracts to Boeing and SpaceX to develop piloted spacecraft, on a commercial basis, to ferry astronauts to and from the International Space Station. The idea is to encourage private industry to develop low-Earth orbit while NASA focuses on deep space exploration.

More recently, the Obama administration specified an asteroid retrieval mission to robotically haul a small asteroid, or part of one, back to the vicinity of the moon for hands-on exploration by astronauts aboard an Orion spacecraft. Such missions would set the stage for an Orion, attached to a habitation module of some sort, to make an eventual flight to orbit Mars or its moons.

NASA staged a successful uncrewed test flight of the Orion capsule using a Delta 4 rocket in December 2014. Known as Exploration Flight Test 1, or EFT-1, the heavily instrumented Orion capsule was boosted into an orbit with a high point of about 3,600 miles above the Earth. From there, the spacecraft plunged back to Earth, hitting the atmosphere at some 20,000 mph to test its heat shield and other safety systems.

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NASA studying whether to add astronauts to first launch of new super booster - Spaceflight Now

Aerojet Rocketdyne conducts record setting AR1 test – SpaceFlight Insider

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Jose Flores

February 25th, 2017

Aerojet Rocketdyne tests its staged-combustion rocket engine, the AR1, at NASAs Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. Photo Credit: Aerojet Rocketdyne

Aerojet Rocketdyne set the record for the highest chamber pressure of any United States-produced liquid oxygen and kerosene main combustion system during a Feb. 22, 2017, test at NASAs Stennis Space Center.

The record was set during a series of successful test firings of theAR1sstaged combustion system.This particular testcombined the engines preburner with the main injector in order to validate injector design parameters and performance.

Staged-combustion testing is a critical step in proving our design for AR1 and reestablishing U.S. preeminence in hydrocarbon space launch propulsion, said Aerojet Rocketdyne CEO and President Eileen Drake in a press release.

Drake said Aerojet Rocketdyne has been working on the engine program since 2014 and remains on target to deliver a flight-qualified engine in 2019.

The latest testing validates our flight design and provides high confidence as we move further into AR1 engine manufacturing, Drake said.

Both Aerojet Rocketdyne with its AR1 and Blue Origin with its BE-4 engine are working toward developing oxidizer-rich staged-combustion engines to end U.S. reliance on Russian-made RD-180 rocket engines. Establishing independence from the Russian engineis becoming increasingly important as relations between the two countriesremain strained.

AR1 is the lowest risk, lowest cost and fastest path to end U.S. reliance on Russian engines for the launch of Americas national security and civil space missions, Drake said.

The AR1 is a 500,000-pound (2,200-kilonewton) thrust-class liquid-oxygen/kerosene engine and is slated to be completed in 2019.

Tagged: Aerojet Rocketdyne AR1 Lead Stories RD-180 Stennis Space Center

College student and long time space enthusiast, Jose has been a constant visitor to Cape Canaveral since he moved to central Florida. He joined the SFI team in the hopes of becoming more involved in the coverage of spaceflight and space exploration.

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Aerojet Rocketdyne conducts record setting AR1 test - SpaceFlight Insider

Kilowatts and Sea Turtles: NASA’s Thermal Energy Storage Project – SpaceFlight Insider

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Jim Siegel

February 25th, 2017

Kennedy Space Centers Ismael Otero explains how the 2.8-million-gallon (10.6-million-liter) thermal energy storage tank in the background lowers energy costs within the complex by storing water that is chilled during off-peak nighttime hours to be later used to cool buildings during the daytime. The project was originally proposed by an intern a few years ago and construction was completed in Fall 2016. The large silver pipes shown behind Otero on either side of the tank carry the chilled water to and from the chiller building located about just a few yards to his right. Photo Credit: Jim Siegel / SpaceFlight Insider

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. NASA is currently working under an initiative to better utilize the energy that helps power the locations facilities. This includes a large thermal energy storage tank that was recently installed.

In contrast to most home central air conditioning systems that use a refrigerant to cool air, large commercial buildings and office parks often use chilled water as a coolant to cool and dehumidify interior environments.

Kennedy Space Centerscooling system includes a large central chiller building that uses electricity to chill water that is then pumped to most of the buildings in the complex. The water returns to the chiller to be again cooled, a closed-loop process that constantly operates to provide a comfortable interior work area for employees.

As explained in a press briefing by KSC project manager Ismael Otero, the complex recently installed a large 2.8-million-gallon (10.6-million-liter) thermal energy storage tank outside the chiller building. This allows KSC to store water to be chilled during off-peak nighttime hours for use during the day when electricity costs are higher.

The 90-foot (27-meter) high tank has concrete walls that are up to 10 inches (25 centimeters) thick and is coated with a tough external foam membrane to minimize the warming effects of the hot Florida sun.

The Thermal Energy Storage Tank Project, one of many at KSC aimed at improving energy and environmental efficiency, saves about a quarter of a million dollars annually in energy costs, Otero said.

Furthermore, the project also earned a $1.5 million rebate from Florida Power & Light. That rebate, in turn, is funding other energy saving projects funds within the KSC complex. Most notably, according to Dan Clark of the NASA Sustainability Team, is an initiative to replace over a hundred external lights with amber LED lights, which has a wavelength invisible to sea turtles.

Young sea turtles become disoriented by conventional nighttime lighting, Clark said.

The new LED lights will contribute to maintaining an eco-friendly environment for these and other creatures that share KSC with NASA.

Tagged: Kennedy Space Center Kilowatts and Sea Turtles: NASA's Thermal Energy Storage Project NASA The Range

Jim Siegel comes from a business and engineering background, as well as a journalistic one. He has a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue University, an MBA from the University of Michigan, and executive certificates from Northwestern University and Duke University. Jim got interested in journalism in 2002. As a resident of Celebration, FL, Disneys planned community outside Orlando, he has written and performed photography extensively for the Celebration Independent and the Celebration News. He has also written for the Detroit News, the Indianapolis Star, and the Northwest Indiana Times (where he started his newspaper career at age 11 as a paperboy). Jim is well known around Celebration for his photography, and he recently published a book of his favorite Celebration scenes. Jim has covered the Kennedy Space Center since 2006. His experience has brought a unique perspective to his coverage of first, the space shuttle Program, and now the post-shuttle era, as US space exploration accelerates its dependence on commercial companies. He specializes in converting the often highly technical aspects of the space program into contexts that can be understood and appreciated by average Americans.

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Kilowatts and Sea Turtles: NASA's Thermal Energy Storage Project - SpaceFlight Insider