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Thursday, April 24, 2014
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Orion Nebula in Surrounding Dust
From NASA’s Astronomy Picture
of the Day
Opaque to visible light, dust is created in the outer atmosphere of massive cool stars and expelled by a strong outer wind of particles.
The Trapezium and other forming star clusters are embedded in the nebula. The intricate filaments of dust surrounding M42 and M43 appear gray in the image below, while central glowing gas is highlighted in brown and blue.
Over the next few million years much of Orion's dust will be slowly destroyed by the very stars now being formed, or dispersed into the Galaxy.
Everybody's got the right to live
A
Living Wage is an Equal Voice
By Luz Vega-Marquis
By Luz Vega-Marquis
Take a
look at your bills: What do you pay for food, housing, clothing, health care,
utilities and transportation? How much would it take for your family to just
get by? Could you make it on $15,000 a year? $21,000? What would your family
have to do without to make ends meet?
What
exactly does it take to make it in America?
The
working poor are not fundamentally different, nor do they practice some kind of
magical math that allows them to support their families on wages that would
sink your own.
Brain changes associated with casual marijuana use in young adults
More 'joints' equal more damage
The size and shape of
two brain regions involved in emotion and motivation may differ in young adults
who smoke marijuana at least once a week, according to a study published April
16 in The Journal of
Neuroscience.
The findings suggest that recreational marijuana use may
lead to previously unidentified brain changes, and highlight the importance of
research aimed at understanding the long-term effects of low to moderate
marijuana use on the brain.
Marijuana is the most
commonly used illicit drug in the United States, with an estimated 18.9 million
people reporting recent use, according to the most current analysis of the
National Survey on Drug Use and Mental Health.
Marijuana use is often
associated with motivation, attention, learning, and memory impairments.
Ryan’s Joke Is on Us
The Wisconsin Republican's budget scheme slashes job training, education, infrastructure repairs, medical research, public broadcasting, the arts, and pretty much anything else that regular people want and need.
By
My guess
is that Rep. Paul Ryan, the Republican Party’s highly touted budget guru,
doesn’t have a very tight grip on the concept of irony.
Otherwise,
why would he choose April Fools’ Day to release the latest version of what the
GOP intends to do to federal programs (and to the people who count on them) if
it takes total control of Congress?
But there he was on April 1, declaring with
a straight face that, “We [Republicans] believe that we owe it to the country
to offer an alternative to the status quo. It’s just that simple.”
Wednesday, April 23, 2014
Charlestown for sale
This
time, it looks like it will LITERALLY be for sale, thanks to the CCA Party
By
Will Collette
 |
| New plan to keep rowdies off of Charlestown Town Beach |
On
a party-line vote, the three CCA boys who control the Charlestown Town Council
(Boss Tom Gentz, Dan Slattery and George Tremblay) voted to advance a proposal from
several beachfront property owners to buy a five-foot by one-thousand-foot
town-owned right of way to Charlestown Town Beach and the state beach at
the Breachway.
Council members Paula Andersen (D) and Lisa DiBello (I) voted NO.
By
this vote, the plan to sell this town property to these private owners now goes before a Special May 5 Town
Meeting on the upcoming year’s town budget as a potential warrant item to be
placed before the voters in June. Under our Town Charter, the sale of town-owned real
estate requires explicit voter approval.
Astronomy Picture of the Day
At the Edge of NGC 2174
From
NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day
It follows mountainous clouds of gas and dust carved by winds and radiation from the region's newborn stars, now found scattered in open star clusters embedded around the center of NGC 2174, off the top of the frame.
Though star formation continues within these dusty cosmic clouds they will likely be dispersed by the energetic newborn stars within a few million years.
Recorded at infrared wavelengths by the Hubble Space Telescope, the interstellar scene spans about 6 light-years. The image celebrates the upcoming 24th anniversary of Hubble's launch onboard the space shuttle orbiter Discovery on April 24, 1990.
Ryan Bate of Charlestown is a finalist in PETA “Sexiest Vegan Next Door” contest
Energetic Fitness Expert Says Chucking Animal Products
Was the Smartest Move He Ever Made
Charlestown, R.I. — PETA's Sexiest
Vegan Next Door 2014 contest is down to the wire, and
30-year-old Charlestown resident Ryan Bate
could take home the grand prize. That's because he has beaten out hundreds of
other entrants from across the U.S. to become one of 10 male contestants to
advance to the final round. Two lucky winners—one male and one female—will each
receive a free vacation for two to Maui, Hawaii, courtesy of HumaneTrip.com.
"Going vegan can help make you feel better on the
inside, look better on the outside, and save the lives of more than 100 animals
a year," says PETA Special Projects Manager Alicia Woempner. "On
average, vegans are fitter and trimmer than meat-eaters are, and that makes
them sexier, too."
Bate went vegan seven years ago after watching PETA's
hard-hitting video "Meet Your Meat" and says it's the most rewarding
decision he has ever made. His wife, Danielle, is also vegan, and the two are
expecting their first child in May. The Bates have three dogs and a cat, all of
whom were rescued and have been spayed or neutered.
Milking Public Education
I’m growing leery of the role corporations are playing in charter-dominated school systems.
By
The
building stood facing me, the windows staring ahead like hundreds of
scrutinizing eyes. It was larger than I thought it would be.
I looked
around as I dug my hands into my pockets, struggling to retain heat. Across the
street was a public housing development that appeared to be shut down: broken
doors, smashed windows, an overall sense of abandonment. To the left was a
park, buried under feet of snow.
Poetic Justice Strikes the CEO of ExxonMobil
Some of the biggest supporters of fracking don't want it in their backyards.
By
Rex
Tillerson is mad. Fracking mad.
The
61-year old farmer from Bartonville, Texas is another victim of the fracking
boom that has invaded people’s homes and lives nationwide, from upstate New
York to Southern California.
Millions of Americans have experienced numerous
side effects from this massively destructive drilling process, including
polluted air, contaminated water, depleted aquifers, multiple health problems,
and even an inexplicable epidemic of earthquakes.
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
More than symbolism needed
How
Earth Day is Just Like New Years’ Eve
BY
Even for me the
connection is a little tenuous if I think about it too much. But, in that they
are over-hyped abstractions, focusing attention, if only for a brief moment, on
the natural cycles of time and nature, New Years’ Eve is just like Earth Day. It
is a moment we vow to do better, but real change continues to hauntingly elude
the full promise of progress, resilience and – dare I say it –
sustainability.
The Joy of Retirement
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Along the Western
Veil
From
NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day
Delicate in appearance,
these filaments of shocked, glowing gas, draped in planet Earth's sky toward
the constellation of Cygnus, make up the western part of the Veil Nebula.
The Veil Nebula itself
is a large supernova remnant, an expanding cloud born of the death explosion
of a massive star. Light from the original supernova explosion likely reached
Earth over 5,000 years ago.
Blasted out in the
cataclysmic event, the interstellar shock wave plows through space sweeping up
and exciting interstellar material.
The glowing filaments
are really more like long ripples in a sheet seen almost edge on, remarkably
well separated into atomic hydrogen (red) and oxygen (blue-green) gas.
Also known as the Cygnus
Loop, the Veil Nebula now spans nearly 3 degrees or about 6
times the diameter of the full Moon. While that translates to over 70
light-years at its estimated distance of 1,500 light-years, this wide image of
the western portion spans about half that distance.
Brighter parts of the
western Veil are recognized as separate nebulae, including The Witch's Broom (NGC 6960) along the top of this view and Pickering's Triangle (NGC 6979) below and right of center.
Earth Day in free verse with BONUS VIDEO
Earth Day 2014
I have still
never seen…
A bison throw a
cigarette butt out a car window
A flock of geese blow the top off a mountain
A seal cause an oil spill
A hippo drive a Hummer
A lemur leave the faucet dripping
A raccoon go out for the evening and leave all the lights in the house on
A bobcat fight legislation to lower smokestack emissions
A songbird sing "Drill Baby, Drill"
A flock of geese blow the top off a mountain
A seal cause an oil spill
A hippo drive a Hummer
A lemur leave the faucet dripping
A raccoon go out for the evening and leave all the lights in the house on
A bobcat fight legislation to lower smokestack emissions
A songbird sing "Drill Baby, Drill"
Is it a jellyfish or a condom?
Drink Up!
Strange is
good. Innovations that start out as weird can eventually become major game
changers. The “Ooho” water container may be one of those game changing ideas.
At first
glance the “Ooho” water container looks like a clear
jellyfish after it accidentally washes upon shore, not necessarily something
you want to put in your mouth. But if you consider the implications of a
disposable water container that does not rely on plastics, you might want to
try and give it a sip.
The “Ooho”
was designed by London design students Rodrigo GarcĂa González , Pierre
Paslier, and Guillaume Couche, who wanted to come up with a more
eco-friendly way to drink water. Every year millions of water bottles are used
and are thrown out instead of recycled, filling up our landfills and refusing
to degrade. “Ooho” is not only biodegradable but it is also edible.
Forward, not backward
No More
Backsliding
By Dara Richardson-Heron and Wade Henderson
By Dara Richardson-Heron and Wade Henderson
We
have had several thought-provoking conversations recently about a new and
surprising description of women's status in America.
According to the latest
Shriver Report, A Woman's Nation Pushes Back from the Brink, a study by
journalist Maria Shriver and the Washington think tank Center for American
Progress, American women are at risk of "backsliding" from their
achievements in rights and opportunities over the past half-century.
The
reason, the report says, is that policymakers have ignored a "seismic shift"
in American family life: Three-quarters of all moms are in the U.S. labor
force, which is now half women -- and half of them are their families' primary
breadwinners. This is especially true for women of color. Yet like women around
the world, U.S. women still aren't equal in the workplace.
Women
earn less than men doing the same work, and mothers earn much less. Mothers
face so much wage and hiring discrimination that many hide their childrens
photos, while proud new dads often get raises. It's no accident that fewer than
5 percent of the Fortune 500 CEOs are women.
Monday, April 21, 2014
Earth Day – does anyone in Charlestown care anymore?
April
22, another day on the calendar
By
Will Collette
 |
| Earth Day 1970 |
I
have a sentimental attachment to Earth Day. Cathy and I first met when we were
both volunteers at the long-gone
Ecology Action for Rhode Island. Ecology Action was founded in the first
blush of the new wave of environmentalism that led to the celebration of the first Earth Day in
1970.
Forty-four years ago, wow, has it really been that long?
Forty-four years ago, wow, has it really been that long?
In
1970, Earth Day was a big deal and was marked with mass rallies across North
America that raised issues large and small, global and local, and had a pretty
sharp message about corporate polluters.
Lots of national groups, regional
coalitions and local grassroots organizations grew out of that event and
carried enough momentum to push Congress to enact landmark legislation such as
the Clean
Air Act and Clean
Water Act.
Over
time, the Earth Day event was inevitably co-opted and used by corporate
polluters to “greenwash” their public image while continue to rape the planet.
Earth Day became a nice, warm-and-fuzzy day where well-intentioned people could
say they were environmentalists by spending a few hours picking up trash.
It’s
only a matter of time before Earth Day starts to resemble other holidays where
you are encouraged to send greeting cards (on 100% post-consumer recycled
paper, of course) and are deluged with car dealer holiday sale TV ads (only these will push
hybrids and all-electrics).
Nonetheless, I
see Earth Day 1970 as the birthday of the modern environmental movement that,
among other things, did indeed launch many grassroots groups who fought local
environmental problems such as toxic waste dumps, giant garbage facilities,
chemical plants, coal mines, factory farming and fossil-fuel and nuclear power
plants. I spent 20 years in Washington working with groups like that.
ARLSRI Companion Animal of the Week
Meet Nancy
Hi, I am Nancy... A petite black cat who wants to bring you
good luck. I'd rather be with friendly
human companions as opposed to other cats.
Have no fear, I keep my living space very neat and clean,
you won't have to worry about me making a mess.
Instead of keeping a nice clean cage I'd rather have a forever home to
share with you.
You'll fall for my sweet little voice which matches my
demeanor. Forget all the things you've
heard about black cats, I am a petite sweet lady and I am ready to help make your
household even happier!
Class act: Clay Pell and Michelle Kwan
Clay Pell shows selfless support for mental health
 |
| Clay & Michelle at the Shelter Harbor Inn, April 13 (photo by Will Collette) |
Clay Pell showed true depth of character this weekend in
support of National Alliance on Mental Illness RI (NAMI RI).
On
Saturday night, at the Rosario Society in Providence, close to 200 people
packed the hall to support NAMI RI at the non-profit, community-based mental
health support organization’s first annual “Pasta Gala” fundraiser.
As NAMI
RI’s newly recruited, pro-bono government relations coordinator and
communications consultant, I did my best to spread the word and, with a
fantastic collaborative effort amongst members of the Board, the event hall was
overbooked. And thank goodness for that. NAMI RI was recently written out of
the Governor’s FY 15 budget proposal. Without the funding from BHDDH, this
vital education, outreach, counseling and crisis response organization would
not be able to survive.
The
event was well publicized through social media, press release, letters and
emails of invitation and word of mouth. It was packed. Senator Frank Ciccone, a
stalwart ally from the beginning, was in attendance. Candidate for General
Treasurer, Seth Magaziner, was there too.
Three minute pass by Space Station over Charlestown tonight
"Mostly clear" tonight with chance of late ground fog
By Will Collette
The International Space Station will pass overhead tonight at 8:43 PM and arc over us for three minutes. It will start in the northwest, then will make a high arc up to 62 degrees over the horizon before disappearing in the east-southeast three minutes later.
The National Weather Service calls for "mostly clear" sky with ground fog developing later - hopefully after the pass is complete, and a low temp of around 40 degrees (click here).
By Will Collette
The International Space Station will pass overhead tonight at 8:43 PM and arc over us for three minutes. It will start in the northwest, then will make a high arc up to 62 degrees over the horizon before disappearing in the east-southeast three minutes later.
The National Weather Service calls for "mostly clear" sky with ground fog developing later - hopefully after the pass is complete, and a low temp of around 40 degrees (click here).
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