Saturday, July 4, 2015


News Clips For The Day


http://news.yahoo.com/horizons-sends-back-images-mystery-dark-spots-pluto-222503671--abc-news-topstories.html

New Horizons Sends Back Images of Mystery Dark Spots on Pluto
By ALYSSA NEWCOMB
July 2, 2015

Photograph -- New Horizons Sends Back Images of Mystery Dark Spots on Pluto (ABC News)

Several mysterious dark spots on the surface of Pluto have caught the attention of NASA researchers as the New Horizons probe makes its final approach to the dwarf planet.

Several spots are evenly spaced along Pluto's equator, with each having a diameter of about 300 miles, according to NASA.

"It's a real puzzle -- we don't know what the spots are, and we can't wait to find out," Alan Stern, principal investigator for New Horizons, said in a statement.
Related articles:
NASA's New Horizons Probe Gets First Look at Pluto's Faintest Moons
New Horizons Space Probe Sends Back First Color Image of Pluto
NASA's New Horizons Probe Wakes Up for Pluto Encounter

The spacecraft is scheduled to come as close as 6,200 miles from the surface of Pluto July 14, 2015, the closest any man made object has come to the dwarf planet.

As New Horizons has closed in on Pluto, it's provided a closer look at Pluto's surface and its moons. In February, the spacecraft took two long-exposure images showing two of Pluto's moons, Hydra and Nix, orbiting the dwarf planet. It was the first time the space probe had gotten close enough to view the moons.

New Horizons blasted into space atop an Atlas V rocket in January 2006. Pluto at the time was still considered a planet, with scientists later that year voting to demote its status to that of a dwarf planet.

After a sleepy nine years, the probe woke up in December 2014 from the last of its 18 hibernation periods as it prepared for its initial approach toward Pluto.



http://news.yahoo.com/pluto-probe-spies-weird-dark-pole-big-moon-230559942.html

Pluto Probe Spies Weird 'Dark Pole' on Big Moon Charon (Photos)
By Calla Cofield
June 23, 2015

NASA's New Horizons spacecraft has spotted a strange dark patch at the pole of Pluto's big moon Charon, further whetting researchers' appetites ahead of the probe's epic flyby of the dwarf planet system next month.

New Horizons has also detected a rich diversity of terrain types in Pluto's "close approach hemisphere" — the side of the planet New Horizons will zoom past at a distance of just 7,800 miles (12,500 kilometers) on July 14. The newly resolved features, which New Horizons captured in images taken from May 29 through June 19, are visible in a Pluto-Charon video NASA released today.

"This system is just amazing. The science team is just ecstatic with what we see on Pluto’s close approach hemisphere: Every terrain type we see on the planet — including both the brightest and darkest surface areas — are represented there. It’s a wonderland!" New Horizons principal investigator Alan Stern, of the Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colorado, said in a statement. "And about Charon — wow — I don’t think anyone expected Charon to reveal a mystery like dark terrains at its pole. Who ordered that?" [Destination Pluto: NASA's New Horizons Mission in Pictures]

During a mission-update webcast today (June 23), New Horizons team members also reported that the spacecraft performed a course-adjusting engine burn on June 14 that will put the probe in an ideal position to observe Pluto and its moons during the upcoming close encounter.

"We need to be arriving at Pluto at the right time and at the right location to maintain geometry for science observations," Gabe Rogers, New Horizon's guidance and control engineer from the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland, said during today's update. The mission plan includes a specific arrival point, a region roughly 62 miles wide by 93 miles long (100 by 150 km).

Rogers said that, before the June 14 engine burn, the spacecraft had been on course to reach Pluto about 80 seconds earlier than planned. New Horizons is zooming along at about 32,000 mph (51,500 km/h), so a mere 80 seconds could put the spacecraft off target by a few hundred kilometers.


Stern said the correction was a success, and the probe is on course to "get that hole in one" when it reaches Pluto on July 14. It is highly likely the team will have to make one more course correction before then, Rogers added.

In the past week, New Horizon's path to Pluto was declared "all clear" of dust and debris, said Hal Weaver, a project scientist for the mission. Once again, when traveling at over 30,000 mph, a collision with a relatively small rock could seriously damage the spacecraft (which is why it's wearing a bulletproof vest). Weaver said the most recent debris search was the deepest yet and did not turn up any potentially dangerous objects.

In addition to looking for hazards, the deep search was also hunting for new satellites around Pluto, but found none. The team will continue to probe for small moons (in addition to the five moons that are already known) in the leadup to closest approach.

Pluto is one of the largest known objects in the Kuiper belt, a region beyond Neptune that scientists think contains hundreds of thousands of rocky, icy objects. Because Pluto is less than one-fifth the diameter of Earth, and because it orbits an average distance of 3.7 billion miles (5.9 billion km) from the sun, even the most powerful telescopes on or near Earth cannot resolve many details about the dwarf planet's surface.

New Horizons will be the first probe to study Pluto up close, providing new information about the object's exact size, its atmospheric composition, the composition of ices on its surface and the topology of its surface.

"Anybody who thinks we're going to go to Pluto and find cold, dead rock is in for a rude awakening," said Bill McKinnon, a co-investigator for the New Horizons mission. "I think we're going to find a very dynamic planet."

Follow Calla Cofield @callacofield. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.
How NASA's New Horizons Mission to Pluto Works (Infographic)
New Horizons’ Pluto Imagery Will Amaze Us | Video
Pluto's 5 Moons In Motion - New Horizons Probe Captures First View | Video



COMMENTS:

Me 10 days ago

I don't know how this deconvolution works, but it looks from these two images like it's just creating features that aren't really there. I'll take this all with a grain of salt until we get clear, unambiguous images in 3 weeks.



Kirstin 10 days ago

Deconvolution definitely can create features that aren't really there. These are *probably* real, but you are right to hold off on any conclusions.



#24601 10 days ago

This project brings back a glimmer of those exhilarating times of the 1960's space program. Thanks for the memories...



Commenter 10 days ago

This is so exciting! We need something to get our minds off the violence here on Earth and this does it for me. Congrats to all involved from the early stages of planning until New Horizons end. Hopefully that is a long time away. Wouldn't it be cool if N.H. made a giant circle and flew by Earth! What a surprise this would be.



“Several mysterious dark spots on the surface of Pluto have caught the attention of NASA researchers as the New Horizons probe makes its final approach to the dwarf planet. Several spots are evenly spaced along Pluto's equator, with each having a diameter of about 300 miles, according to NASA.” Wow! The reader’s comments are all a little off the wall, with the possibility of mining pits, or perhaps Pluto as a space station for aliens rather than a planet at all. See below: My personal first thought was a space station, with the dark spots being openings into the interior of Pluto where the creatures living there go into the interior of the rock/planet/space station for the protection of their artificial atmosphere there and the chemically based energy system for their computers and food sources. We’ll find out more in about three weeks, the article says. I really can’t wait to hear more!!





http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2015/07/03/419812971/pilot-in-solar-powered-plane-sets-aviation-record

Pilot In Solar-Powered Plane Sets Aviation Record
Scott Neuman
July 3, 2015

A sun-powered airplane has landed in Hawaii after a five-day journey from Japan that smashed the previous record of 76 hours for the longest duration non-stop solo flight.

Pilot André Borschberg set the Solar Impulse 2 down on the tarmac at Kalaeloa airport outside Honolulu after flying for 120 hours from Nagoya, his team reports.

As The Two-Way's Bill Chappell wrote last week, the Japan to Hawaii leg is the 13th stage of a planned circumnavigation for Solar Impulse.

Borschberg is flying every other leg, alternating with Bertrand Piccard, who in 1999 completed a first-ever non-stop balloon circumnavigation.

Bill writes:

"The attempt at a fuel-free circumnavigation began in March; before arriving in Japan, the plane flew from Abu Dhabi to India, and China. Its organizers plan to fly from Hawaii to Phoenix before heading on to New York and then Europe.
"The Solar Impulse has 17,000 solar cells on its surface; it stores power in lithium-ion batteries that 'account for about 1,400 of the craft's overall weight of some 5,000 pounds,' as we've reported."

U.S. adventurer Steve Fossett, who died in a plane accident in 2007, set the previous record of 76 hours the year before his death when he flew the Virgin Atlantic Global flyer around the globe in 2006.

The Solar Impulse 2 has already broken all distance records for a solar-powered airplane.




“A sun-powered airplane has landed in Hawaii after a five-day journey from Japan that smashed the previous record of 76 hours for the longest duration non-stop solo flight. Pilot André Borschberg set the Solar Impulse 2 down on the tarmac at Kalaeloa airport outside Honolulu after flying for 120 hours from Nagoya, his team reports. …. "The Solar Impulse has 17,000 solar cells on its surface; it stores power in lithium-ion batteries that 'account for about 1,400 of the craft's overall weight of some 5,000 pounds,' as we've reported." …. The Solar Impulse 2 has already broken all distance records for a solar-powered airplane.”

The Koch brothers have fought solar energy development every inch of the way, but it persists and it appears to be winning the battle. We should by all means be pushing our discoveries and technology as far as possible because solar energy itself is free of charge. True the R&D and solar panels, etc. are not, but coal and oil cause CO2 pollution plus general smut and smog, and the supply will run out eventually. Meanwhile it is the cause of wars around the world and diseases of the lungs. It’s good to see science producing new and more efficient means to produce energy.





http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2015/07/03/419803189/icelands-pirate-party-wins-repeal-of-blasphemy-law

Iceland's Pirate Party Wins Repeal Of Blasphemy Law
Scott Neuman
July 3, 2015

Iceland's minority Pirate Party has its first major legislative victory — repealing a 75-year-old blasphemy law that made it a crime to "ridicule or insult" the teachings of a legally recognized religious community.

The law, established in 1940, came under fire after the Jan. 7 attack on the offices of Charlie Hebdo in Paris that killed the newspaper's editor and 11 others after they published cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed.

The repeal, passed in Iceland's parliament, said it is "essential in a free society that the public express themselves without fear of punishment." Anyone found violating the blasphemy law had been subject to a fine and three months in prison.

While the vote was underway Thursday, all three members of the Pirate Party stood before parliament, known as the Althing, and declared "Je suis Charlie" ("I am Charlie") in solidarity with the French satirical publication.

In a statement after the vote, the party praised parliament for issuing "the important message that freedom will not bow to bloody attacks."

The BBC reports that the Catholic Church of Iceland, the Pentecostal Church and the Church of Iceland's eastern province all opposed repealing the blasphemy law.

The Catholic Church wrote in a statement after the successful repeal: "Should freedom of expression go so far as to mean that the identity of a person of faith can be freely insulted, then personal freedom — as individuals or groups — is undermined."

As Iceland Magazine wrote last month, support for the Pirate Party is soaring. According to a recent Gallup poll, 34.1 percent of the country said it stands behind the insurgent political movement that received just 5.1 percent of the vote in 2013.

In an interview last month, Prime Minister Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson warned of the Pirate Party's growing popularity, accusing its members of "some very unclear ideas about democracy" and saying its rise "would be cause for concern for society as a whole."



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pirate_Party

Pirate Party
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Pirate Party is a label adopted by political parties in different countries. Pirate parties support civil rights, direct democracy and participation in government, reform of copyright and patent law, free sharing of knowledge (open content), information privacy, transparency, freedom of information, anti-corruption and network neutrality.[

History[edit]

The Swedish Piratpartiet, founded on 1 January 2006 under the leadership of Rickard Falkvinge, was the first pirate party. The party's name was derived from Piratbyrån[1] an organization opposed to intellectual property. Members of Piratbyrån had previously founded the BitTorrent tracker The Pirate Bay.[2] Piratbyrån was an organization founded to oppose the lobbyism of the anti-piracy group Antipiratbyrån. The "pirate" label, which had been used by the media and film industries in campaigns against copyright infringement, is therefore a reappropriation of the word.[3][4]

Parties in other countries, such as the Pirate Party of Austria (founded in July 2006) and the Pirate Party Germany (September 2006), were inspired by the Swedish example. In October 2006, Pirate Parties International was founded as an umbrella organization. In the European Parliament election of 2009 the Swedish Pirate Party received 7.1 percent of the votes, winning two seats and achieving the first major success of a Pirate Party in an election. The German Pirate Party managed to win 8.9 percent of the votes in the Berlin state election, 2011.[5] The Czech Pirate Party won the international race to get a pirate politician to national parliament when a joint pirate candidate, Libor Michálek, was elected in the 2012 senate election.[6]

The biggest election victory in national parliamentary elections of any pirate party was in Iceland where they received 5.1% of the electorate on the 27th of April 2013, gaining 3 seats out of 63 in the Althing.[7]

Common policies[edit]
1.Defend the freedom of expression, communication, education; respect the privacy of citizens and civil rights in general.
2.Defend the free flow of ideas, knowledge and culture.
3.Support politically the reform of copyright and patent laws.
4.Have a commitment to work collaboratively, and participate with maximum transparency.
5.Do not accept or espouse discrimination of race, origin, beliefs and gender.
6.Do not support actions that involve violence.
7.Use free software, free hardware, DIY and open protocols whenever possible.
8.Politically defend an open, participative and collaborative construction of any public policy.
9.Direct democracy
10.Open access
11.Open data
12.Solidarity economy, Economy for the Common Good and promote solidarity with other pirates.
13.Share whenever possible.

Copyright and censorship[edit]

Some campaigns have included demands for the reform of copyright and patent laws via policies opposing internet censorship and surveillance.[8] In 2010, Swedish MEP Christian Engström called for supporters of amendments to the Data Retention Directive to withdraw their signatures, citing a misleading campaign.[9

Pirate Parties International

Pirate Parties International (PPI) is the umbrella organization of the national Pirate Parties. Since 2006 the organization has existed as a loose union[10] of the national parties. Since October 2009, Pirate Parties International has had the status of a non-governmental organization (Feitelijke vereniging) based in Belgium. The organization was officially founded at a conference from 16 to 18 April 2010 in Brussels, when the organization's statutes were adopted by the 22 national pirate parties represented at the event.[11]

The Pirate Parties International Foundation helps to establish Pirate parties around the world. It operates forums and mailing lists for communication between the national parties. The Pirate Parties International is governed by a board, led by co-chairs Maša Čorak and Koen De Voegt.

The European Pirate Party (PPEU) is a European political party founded in September 2013 which consists of various pirate parties within European countries.[12]

Pirates without Borders[edit]

Pirates Without Borders is an international association of pirates. Unlike Pirate Parties International (which accepts only parties as voting members and organizations as observing members), Pirates Without Borders accept individuals as members. The PWB see themselves as a basis for international projects. Through global cooperation, they strive to reveal the impact of multinational trade agreements on all people on Earth, and foster freedom and democracy.[13] PWB originates from an independent committee for the coordination of Pirate parties in German-speaking countries, known as DACHLuke (DACHL = Germany-Austria-Switzerland-Luxembourg).

Since the Pirate Parties International Conference 2011 on 12 and 13 March 2011, PWB is an "observing member" of Pirate Parties International. The previously independent project "pirate streaming" has become a part of Pirates without Borders since 3 May 2011.

Parti Pirate Francophone[edit]

In Parti Pirate Francophone, the French-speaking Pirate Parties are organized. Current members are the pirates parties in Belgium, Côte d'Ivoire, France, Canada and Switzerland.

Outside Sweden, pirate parties have been started in over 40 countries,[14] inspired by the Swedish initiative.



http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/06/22/1392812/-No-joke-Iceland-s-Pirate-Party-surges-into-first-place-in-the-polls

No joke: Iceland's Pirate Party surges into first place in the polls
Mon Jun 22, 2015

Photograph -- The Icelandic Pirate Party

Iceland has long been one of the more right-leaning Nordic countries. In contrast to Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden, which all have a long tradition of electing Social Democratic governments, Iceland's parliament has been dominated by right-of-center parties for all but four years since World War II. The only break in that streak came in 2009, when the left won for the first time ever—and elected the world's first openly gay head of state. The unusual result came about because the global financial meltdown hit Iceland with particular ferocity, but tradition seemingly reasserted itself four years later when the right-leaning Independence and Progressive parties regained power in a landslide.

So it comes as a massive shock that the last few months of polling has shown the incumbent coalition hemorrhaging support not to the center-left Social Democrats or to the left-wing Left-Green Movement, but to the nascent Pirate Party, which has surged into the lead in public opinion polls due to dissatisfaction with the mainstream parties.

Indeed, a recent Gallup survey found the Pirate Party with the support of 34 percent of voters while another found them with 35 percent. That puts the Pirates ahead of the Independence and Progressive Parties' combined support despite those two ruling-coalition partners winning 51 percent together just two years ago. That dramatic shift is illustrated in the bar chart below:
So what the heck is this "Pirate Party," and why are they suddenly so popular? Head below the fold to learn more about this deeply unusual phenomenon.

The Pirate Party is a strange beast that has no political analog in the United States, but there are other parties with the same name and same platform in Europe, where the "Pirate movement" advocates for copyright reform and an open Internet. (The first Pirate Party grew out of a Swedish think tank that also developed the infamous file-sharing website The Pirate Bay.)

These parties are generally progressive-leaning, but they intentionally eschew the traditional left-right political labels. Instead, they focus on civil liberty issues such as free speech, direct democracy, individual privacy, government transparency, and the open exchange of information and digital data.

However, their policies in other areas lean more toward egalitarian social democracy than neo-liberalism. They support market economics, but with a strong social safety net, universal health care, and high taxes to pay for services—the sort of governance you typically find in Nordic nations. Most provocatively, the Icelandic branch advocates granting NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden citizenship so that he may seek asylum in Iceland.

Typically seen as a party protesting copyright laws, national security policies, and the surveillance state, Pirate Parties have never before gained this much support anywhere. When Iceland's Pirate Party took five percent in the 2013 elections, giving them three seats, that was the best result such a party had ever received for a national parliament. Recent anti-government protests over secret E.U. negotiations seem to have bolstered the party's appeal based on their advocacy of transparency, but that alone doesn't begin to explain much of their appeal.

Iceland uses proportional representation, with voters voting for their favorite party, not individual candidates, so parties generally win a number of seats equivalent to their percentage of the popular vote. This could result in the Pirates having an enormous amount of influence if they do indeed take over 30 percent of the vote—though that is a very, very big if. In the same way that third parties almost always poll above their eventual share of the vote in the U.S., the Pirate Party may well revert to its typical role as a haven for protest votes.

Yet even though Iceland is a tiny country, if just one nation changes its copyright laws and tries to fight the international copyright regime, it could have significant consequences given the ways that the Internet has worn down national borders. This election isn't until April of 2017 at the latest, but this is still one of the most astoundingly unexpected poll results we've ever seen.
.
Originally posted to Daily Kos Elections on Mon Jun 22, 2015 at 12:19 PM PDT.

Also republished by Daily Kos.




“The BBC reports that the Catholic Church of Iceland, the Pentecostal Church and the Church of Iceland's eastern province all opposed repealing the blasphemy law. The Catholic Church wrote in a statement after the successful repeal: "Should freedom of expression go so far as to mean that the identity of a person of faith can be freely insulted, then personal freedom — as individuals or groups — is undermined." …. The repeal, passed in Iceland's parliament, said it is "essential in a free society that the public express themselves without fear of punishment." Anyone found violating the blasphemy law had been subject to a fine and three months in prison.”

Three months in prison for speaking our mind is really unacceptable to me. I had no idea of any Blasphemy Law in Europe. It seems WWII didn’t bring freedom from rightwing control in all European countries. This is the kind of thing I would expect to find in Saudi Arabia or under the Taliban, even though I feel that Charlie Hebdo was way over the line with their portraying Mohammed as a dog, etc. I believe in the right to free speech, but the will to monitor our speech in ways that are not in themselves deeply insulting.

These “pirate parties” across Europe sponsor some things that I would like to see in the US, but the attack on patents and intellectual property laws seems to me to be unfair to those who spend their money and time inventing new things or producing art. It’s a shame that art in the US tends to be an unpaid achievement, though a conservative might say that art is “unnecessary,” whereas a new gadget is worth protecting. Personally I have been moved by art since I was really very young and I value it highly. I wouldn’t want all art to look alike, of course, which might tend to happen over time if free imitation were allowed. The late night TV commercial offering “Hotel – Motel Art” to would be buyers springs to mind.

According to Daily Kos, “These parties are generally progressive-leaning, but they intentionally eschew the traditional left-right political labels. Instead, they focus on civil liberty issues such as free speech, direct democracy, individual privacy, government transparency, and the open exchange of information and digital data.”

Direct democracy is one thing I do strongly favor. I think the Electoral College is a potentially harmful structure as it has skewed elections several times during my lifetime, and I see nothing about a designated group of people with the capability of overturning a majority vote that makes it a good thing. Of course, if the NeoNazi Party were to be elected I might change my mind.

As for unlimited free speech, that tends to allow the spreading of rumors, lies, slander, mob violence and racial or religious hatred. That is the result of the many hate mongering websites that are on the Internet today. Through those sites, ISIS is recruiting mentally disturbed young men and women to go to Syria and join their ranks. I personally feel that any group advocating and/or organizing murder or harassment of individuals because of their beliefs, is behaving in a vile manner, and their actions should be illegal. Therefore I have not been in sympathy with the Charlie Hebdo staff, though I’m sorry they were so viciously attacked by Islamic radicals. They are all radicals on both sides of the issue to me, and they are wrong in their actions. Religious abuse should be unacceptable under the law and in the hearts of our citizens. I personally am not strongly religious, but many people are, and the various world religions tend to compete for a piece of the pie. I don’t like that, but it’s human nature. See this website below on the law involved. http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/conlaw/hatespeech.htm, which compares “fighting words” with hate speech, is clear-cut and well explained on the various issues. The First Amendment does allow “hate speech,” but not hate motivated attacks. Such actions can be punished at a higher level than those without it.

As for “individual privacy, government transparency, and the open exchange of information and digital data,” those to me are important rights. I don’t want the Internet monitored and censored, except for the protection of citizens. I would limit that statement to say, however, that musical artists should not have their work pirated and used free of charge against their will, and that individuals should be free of surveillance by the government or by malicious people who operate on the Net. It has recently come to light that television sets, baby monitors, computers and even household appliances are in some cases now capable of spying on people in their homes. That all developed with the goal of achieving a “smart home” in which a master device like the security system can do things like turn the lights on and off and link a mother in to her baby’s bedroom, but advertisers also have hacked such devices as refrigerators in which microphones are embedded in order to listen to conversations nearby. Personally, I would opt out on that device, as I am especially sensitive to intrusions of that sort. I don’t need a “smart home.”

As for government transparency, no government is entirely “transparent,” including ours since 9/11 and even before that. Some US government operations have been secret and worse still, sometimes extremely abusive to individuals as long ago as I can remember. The NSA surveillance that Snowden uncovered is a case in point. The scandalous CIA experiments on the usefulness of LSD as a sort of mind control tool and the US Public Health Service’s infamous Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment in which black men were given the bacteria and watched for an extended period of time to see how it would develop without proper treatment. That, to me, is on a par with things the Nazi doctors were doing in the concentration camp, only it was on a different equally undervalued group of people. The experiment itself was grotesque and the reason for it is unfathomable. It was "obscene" because it had "no redeeming social value."





http://www.cbsnews.com/news/4th-of-july-terror-threat-security-officials-alert-lone-wolf-attacks/

America celebrating Fourth of July on guard
CBS NEWS
July 4, 2015

Play VIDEO -- Security measures to prevent lone wolf attack across U.S.

Security officials were on alert Saturday though there's been no specific threat aimed at this Fourth of July weekend from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, or other terror groups.

But there is still concern about the possibility of attacks by so-called "lone-wolf" terrorists.


The FBI and Department of Homeland Security have issued a bulletin warning of potential attacks through the July Fourth weekend, leading to a visible - and invisible - response at key events, CBS News' Mark Albert reports.

America will celebrate its 239th birthday on guard.

ISIS has called for attacks against members of the military, law enforcement, the U.S. government and the American public.

"Yes, there's been a lot of chatter," said Everett Gillison, Philadelphia deputy mayor for public safety. "That's something that you've heard all over the country, but there's no specific threat to anywhere that we're aware of right now in the country. It just is that we have to be vigilant."

In Philadelphia, the birthplace of the Declaration of Independence, Gillison said the city is relying on a joint operations center to oversee coordination among its officers and departments.

"We never let anyone dictate to us how we're gonna live our lives," he said.

In New York City, 7,000 extra officers will be on the streets with radiation detectors on the Hudson River and in the air.

In the nation's capital, 700,000 people are expected on the National Mall; all will be screened.

The FBI has set up coordination centers around the country with special TSA teams assigned to large air travel hubs.

"I just want to wish everyone a happy and healthy Fourth," said Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, "and ask the people of Boston to remain safe, vigilant and keep their eyes open."

Walsh and Boston Police Commissioner William Evans said Friday the city is on the lookout for attackers who might act on their own.

"Obviously everyone's concerns have been raised because of all the ISIS activity that's going around and because of, you know, the marathon bombing," said Evans. "We're just stepping it up just to make sure it can be as secure as possible."

The commissioner added that a lone-wolf attack is his worst nightmare.

Meanwhile, recent attacks in France, Kuwait and Tunisia also highlight the ongoing risk to American embassies and interests abroad.




“The FBI and Department of Homeland Security have issued a bulletin warning of potential attacks through the July Fourth weekend, leading to a visible - and invisible - response at key events, CBS News' Mark Albert reports. America will celebrate its 239th birthday on guard. …. In New York City, 7,000 extra officers will be on the streets with radiation detectors on the Hudson River and in the air. In the nation's capital, 700,000 people are expected on the National Mall; all will be screened. The FBI has set up coordination centers around the country with special TSA teams assigned to large air travel hubs. …. Meanwhile, recent attacks in France, Kuwait and Tunisia also highlight the ongoing risk to American embassies and interests abroad.”

I would be concerned if our government were not on full alert today. I used to go down on the Mall with friends over this holiday when I lived in DC. A large Folk Life Festival is held every year which offers international music, art, dancing and not to be forgotten, food. There was a huge fireworks display and a concert by the National Symphony. It’s a wonderful fulfilling and relaxing day. Loved it! Except for the winter weather in DC, there are many things I miss since I moved to Florida. Still, life goes on!





http://www.cbsnews.com/news/how-competitive-eating-affects-the-body/

How competitive eaters do it - and what it does to them
By AMY KRAFT CBS NEWS
July 4, 2015

Photograph -- The 2014 annual Nathan's Hot Dog Competition. NATHAN'S FAMOUS

At this year's Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest, held every Fourth of July on Coney Island in Brooklyn, New York, Miki Sudo defended her title against other female competitive eaters by stuffing 38 hot dogs and buns down her throat in 10 minutes. On the men's side, Joey Chestnut wasn't able to keep his winning streak alive, losing to Matt Stonie, who ate 62 hot dogs and buns.

Last year, Chestnut ate 61 (not quite matching the record 69 he downed the previous year) and Sudo devoured 34.

The thought of it is enough to make any normal eater queasy. So how do these competitive eaters manage such extreme gorging?

There is not a lot of research on competitive eating and this sport continues to baffle scientists and doctors. However, small studies from gastroenterologists have provided some information.

According to an article in Gastroenterology and Endoscopy News, "After being swallowed (competitors have dozens of swallowing techniques, such as "chipmunking," in which they puff their cheeks out as they stuff their mouths full of food or gulp big bites followed by sips of water), the food mass moves through the esophagus, a portion of the route that takes about 10 seconds to traverse for the first mouthfuls and longer for every swallow afterward as the esophageal pipeline fills up."

Competitive eaters have to learn how to relax their esophagus so that it expands, allowing more food to go down. From there, the hot dog travels to the lower esophageal sphincter (LES), an involuntary bundle of muscles at the low end of the esophagus that prevents acid from getting into the stomach. Competitive eaters have developed various techniques for relaxing these muscles.

In the 2006 book on competitive eating called "Eat This Book," author Adam Nehr writes that competitive eating champion Don Lerman learned to overcome nausea when food hits his LES and relax the sphincter by downing a gallon of water every morning.

Then, once the food passes the LES, it enters the stomach.

A normal eater has a stomach that feels full after consuming about a liter or a liter and a half's worth of food. Competitive eaters learn to stretch and relax their stomachs to fit in more food by eating large amounts of low-calories foods and liquids including water, diet soda, watermelon and cabbage. The stretching does not go on indefinitely, however. As with any competition there will be losers and all competitive eaters will stop when they've reached their limit.

And they might not feel too good afterwards.

The side effects of such binges vary based on the competitor and the food being eaten. Gastroenterology and Endoscopy News states that hot dogs cause the most painful cramps. Other side effects of competitive eating include nausea, painful gas, vomiting, heartburn and diarrhea. More serious side effects could include choking, esophageal inflammation and stomach rupture.

There are always emergency medical technicians on hand during eating competitions in case there is a problem. "Safety is a huge consideration for us," George Shea, emcee of Nathan's Hot Dog eating contest told CBS News. Organizers of the competition go over the risks and issues with eaters prior to the competition and all contestants have been professionally trained.

"It's the most intense contest of the year," Shea said. "Generally, after an event eaters are emotionally and physically wiped out and want to take a nap."

But amazingly, the intensity of the competition doesn't stop everyone from continuing to eat. "Sometimes they'll go and have an ice cream after," Shea told CBS News.




“The thought of it is enough to make any normal eater queasy. So how do these competitive eaters manage such extreme gorging? There is not a lot of research on competitive eating and this sport continues to baffle scientists and doctors. However, small studies from gastroenterologists have provided some information. …. After being swallowed (competitors have dozens of swallowing techniques, such as "chipmunking," in which they puff their cheeks out as they stuff their mouths full of food or gulp big bites followed by sips of water), the food mass moves through the esophagus, a portion of the route that takes about 10 seconds to traverse for the first mouthfuls and longer for every swallow afterward as the esophageal pipeline fills up." Competitive eaters have to learn how to relax their esophagus so that it expands, allowing more food to go down. From there, the hot dog travels to the lower esophageal sphincter (LES), an involuntary bundle of muscles at the low end of the esophagus that prevents acid from getting into the stomach. Competitive eaters have developed various techniques for relaxing these muscles. …. ," author Adam Nehr writes that competitive eating champion Don Lerman learned to overcome nausea when food hits his LES and relax the sphincter by downing a gallon of water every morning. Then, once the food passes the LES, it enters the stomach. …. "Safety is a huge consideration for us," George Shea, emcee of Nathan's Hot Dog eating contest told CBS News. Organizers of the competition go over the risks and issues with eaters prior to the competition and all contestants have been professionally trained. .... But amazingly, the intensity of the competition doesn't stop everyone from continuing to eat. "Sometimes they'll go and have an ice cream after," Shea told CBS News."


“Gastroenterology and Endoscopy News states that hot dogs cause the most painful cramps. Other side effects of competitive eating include nausea, painful gas, vomiting, heartburn and diarrhea. More serious side effects could include choking, esophageal inflammation and stomach rupture.” None of these things are good, but stomach rupture sounds horrific. Could they possibly make enough money to make this worth their while?? I am very glad to hear that ambulances are standing by and that all eaters are professionally trained, otherwise I would tend to think that a law should be made prohibiting the events.

I wonder if this training of the esophagus to allow it to relax fully is also important for sword swallowers? Now that is an act that has always enthralled me in the same way that watching that Southern critter the “writing spider” or orb weaver does, as he catches, bites and rolls up his grasshopper in spider silk. He then puts it in the web for later – or maybe the ones which do that are females and they're saving the catch for their babies. Whatever, it’s both fascinating and grisly to watch.





http://www.cbsnews.com/news/4-charged-with-murder-after-16-year-old-fell-off-of-truck/

4 charged with murder after 16-year-old girl fell off truck
By CRIMESIDER STAFF CBS/AP
June 30, 2015

Photograph -- Katherine Burdick-Crow
CBS AFFILIATE WRAL

CARY, N.C. - Four young North Carolina residents have been charged with first-degree murder in the death of a 16-year-old girl who fell off of a fleeing truck.

Police in the Raleigh suburb of Cary said Sunday the arrests come after 16-year-old Katherine Burdick-Crow of Cary was found in the road outside a city park on Friday night.

Cary police say investigators believe Burdick-Crow and the four suspects planned to meet for a drug deal. Police say that Burdick-Crow was robbed and while fighting with the suspects fell off of the pickup truck as it was leaving the scene.

Charged with murder are 20-year-old Jourdan Mack, 18-year-old Beth Strange, 17-year-old Abijah Masse, and 17-year-old Joshua Simmons. All are from neighboring Morrisville and were denied bond during a hearing Monday.

Julian Hall, an attorney who represents Masse, tells CBS affiliate WRAL the death was an accident, not murder.

"These are not bad kids you're dealing with," Hall said. "We're not looking at this thing like your typical murder. It seems like an accident."

According to a search warrant obtained by WRAL, Burdick-Crow died while chasing after two of the suspects after they allegedly stole marijuana from her that she planned to sell to them. When the suspects got into a truck, Burdick-Crow jumped onto the step rail near the driver's side door, according to the warrant.

The truck's driver - Simmons - then started driving away and punched Burdick-Crow in the face and head several times until she fell from the moving truck, according to the warrant. She died the next day.

Burdick-Crow's parents released a statement saying they are devastated by their daughter's death.

"Katie was a very loving, caring person and it is a shame for her life to end so soon," they said.




“Cary police say investigators believe Burdick-Crow and the four suspects planned to meet for a drug deal. Police say that Burdick-Crow was robbed and while fighting with the suspects fell off of the pickup truck as it was leaving the scene. Charged with murder are 20-year-old Jourdan Mack, 18-year-old Beth Strange, 17-year-old Abijah Masse, and 17-year-old Joshua Simmons. All are from neighboring Morrisville and were denied bond during a hearing Monday. …. "These are not bad kids you're dealing with," Hall said. "We're not looking at this thing like your typical murder. It seems like an accident." According to a search warrant obtained by WRAL, Burdick-Crow died while chasing after two of the suspects after they allegedly stole marijuana from her that she planned to sell to them. When the suspects got into a truck, Burdick-Crow jumped onto the step rail near the driver's side door, according to the warrant. …. "Katie was a very loving, caring person and it is a shame for her life to end so soon," they said.”

“The truck's driver - Simmons - then started driving away and punched Burdick-Crow in the face and head several times until she fell from the moving truck, according to the warrant. She died the next day.” This does not sound like an accident to me, unless the driver of the truck is mentally deficient. I think kids old enough to get into that kind of trouble are old enough to know better. Unfortunately, their parents aren’t teaching them all that they should. By their mid teens they should know what is way too dangerous (punching a girl who is holding onto the truck for dear life) or just simply sinful and vicious (punching a girl at all.) Of course it wasn’t bright for her to jump on the running board of the truck either. I like to think that if I had had kids they wouldn’t be so dangerous to themselves and others.