%feed  
http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.huffingtonpost.com%2Fjen-reeder%2Fthese-colorado-teens-help-pit-bulls-get-adopted_b_10929552.html%3Futm_hp_ref%3Dgreen%26ir%3DGreen&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8  
These Colorado Teens Help Pit Bulls Get Adopted  


One of the best things about being a pet writer is the chance to meet the amazing people who work in animal rescue, like two teens named Morgan Wells and Wyllow Hildner. They like to say, "You're never too young to change the world," and it's a concept they live by - they were just 10 and 11 years old when they met as volunteers at the La Plata County Humane Society in Durango, Colo.

"I have always loved dogs because they are such great companions and never judge you," Wells says. "They will protect you with their lives and always want to please you. They love you so much and it's only fair if we help them out of sticky situations."



One day the girls met Kaya, a "sweet" pit bull in the shelter's "Lonely Hearts Club," the name for animals who have gone 45 days without being adopted. They learned about the challenges facing Kaya and other pit bulls because of their fearsome reputation and decided to do something about it by founding Pit Bulls for People.



Wells and Hildner created a website at PitBulls4People.org that shares photos, videos and descriptions of "pitties" available for adoption at the shelter. They get to know the dogs' personalities on weekends and during summer vacations when they socialize and train the pups to help increase their adoption chances. Often they meet with potential adopters to introduce them to the dogs.

"Working with pit bulls is one of the best things I've ever done," Hildner, now 14, told me. "They give actual meaning to the phrase 'Don't judge a book by its cover.' They may look big and strong, but they are one of the sweetest breeds I've ever known. Just knowing that these dogs are being used for the wrong things makes me want to do something about it even more."



Since founding Pit Bulls for People in 2013, the girls have helped the shelter find homes for over 150 adult pit bulls - including Kaya - and raised more than $1,000 for the cause.

"I love working with pit bulls because they're smart, though they don't always catch on super quickly," Wells, now 13, says. "They are really funny to see when you praise them for doing something right. They always get so happy with their tails flying and their tongues trying to reach your face."

Chris Nelson, shelter director of the La Plata County Humane Society, finds the dedication of the girls inspiring.

"They work really hard for the pit bulls that we get in here, and they've been a big help to us," he says. "They're passionate."



Wells and Hildner are also active volunteers with Soul Dog Rescue, a Denver-based nonprofit that frequently hosts spay/neuter clinics on the Navajo Reservation, which covers over 27,000 square miles across three states. The girls help in whatever way needed, from caring for animals recovering from surgery to going out on rescue missions. In one memorable instance, they helped save a litter of puppies spotted by an old tire - they named the pups Hope, Faith, Joy and Peace.

"They were covered in dirt and ticks. We went back and washed them all off in the sink," Hildner says. "The feeling of holding the dog you just rescued is priceless."

Both Hildner and Wells plan to continue working in animal rescue as adults. They are committed to combatting breed specific legislation and educating the public that pit bulls - an umbrella term that includes American pit bull terriers, American Staffordshire terriers, Staffordshire bull terriers and pit bull mixes - can be wonderful pets when treated right.



"Pit bulls are a very energetic breed. They need to have owners who love to exercise and can give a lot of attention to them," Hildner says. "If you spend time with them, keep them healthy, and give them love, they will be the best dogs ever. Regular socialization is also very important for any dog."



Wells and Hildner are quick to praise others, from their parents being supportive even when they ask for early morning rides on weekends, to La Plata County Humane Society making Pit Bulls for People "possible." They hope other young people will get involved in rescue and learn how to stop animal abuse and neglect.

"It's very important that kids grow up to respect the animals around us ... To dogs, the glass is always half full. And it doesn't matter how you look or who you are, they will always give you unconditional love no matter what," Hildner says. "I could talk for hours about how great dogs are."



For more information, visit http://www.pitbulls4people.org/ or https://www.facebook.com/PitBullsForPeople/.

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

 
gaia  

%feed  
http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.huffingtonpost.com%2Ftom-szaky%2Fthe-trend-of-recycling-co_b_10970210.html%3Futm_hp_ref%3Dgreen%26ir%3DGreen&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8  
The Trend of Recycling Cosmetics Packaging  
Cosmetics are part of a multi-billion dollar global industry expected to reach $675 billion by 2020. As with most industries today, one of its fastest growing influences on consumer purchasing behavior are claims for sustainability. Sustainable sourcing of raw materials in cosmetics is gaining popularity, and many cosmetics manufacturers have launched "take-back" recycling initiatives, engaging customers with a solution for its difficult-to-recycle product s and packaging. The trend we are seeing is clear: recyclability and perceived sustainability are en vogue.

Though all technically recyclable, "difficult-to-recycle" waste streams are not typically profitable to recycle in our current infrastructure. Cosmetics are often packaged in containers that are hard to clean, and the packaging is often comprised of mixed materials (e.g. a pump-action bottle made with different plastic resins and a metal spring). With high collection, separation, and processing costs, cheap, linear disposal methods like landfilling and incineration are typically considered the most economically viable options. Even so, consumer demand for greater responsibility and more circular waste solutions is resonating across industries, cosmetics included.

We know that consumers are more likely to patronize companies committed to making positive social and environmental impacts, so it's no wonder that we are seeing an influx of marketing and advertising campaigns calling upon consumers to send or bring them their full or empty cosmetics containers for recycling. It's great that sustainability and recycling are more salient topics in the consumer products market today, but distinctions must still be made. While there are plenty of companies using sustainability as a platform to enhance their CSR strategies, reduce their environmental impact, and build trust with consumers, not all companies jumping onto the sustainability train are using this platform in socially responsible, transparent ways.

Leading consumer category site InStyle queries "Did you know that product packaging makes up almost 45% of the trash found in landfills? Luckily, many brands...have found creative ways to reduce that number--by rewarding you with a new product or a discount toward your next purchase when you recycle your empty products."

At TerraCycle, we've developed a great deal of first-hand experience in the sustainability of consumer products, and have seen companies on every point of the spectrum. One high-end consumer cosmetics company incentivizes sending in several of their products at a time (from their brand and their brand only) with the reward of one free item, while another major personal care company accepts all brands of full or empty cosmetic products and packaging for recycling, but does not provide consumers information about what they do with them upon collection. One French perfume retailer even hosted a take-back program for the packaging of all brands sold in-store. When asked by a TerraCycle associate how they recycled the waste, they answered that they did not currently have a solution in place.

A more regenerative system in which collected waste materials are used as a resource to create new products is what recycling is actually about. For example, years ago my company TerraCycle partnered with Garnier to create the Personal Care and Beauty Recycling Program, a free program that accepts everything from shampoo and conditioner bottles, eye cream tubs and hair spray pumps for recycling. To enhance our recycling initiative's impact, the program itself is brand agnostic: all personal care and beauty waste is accepted for recycling, regardless of brand. Waste collected through the program is recycled into plastic pellets to make new recycled products, even more ambitious creations like community gardens or playground. Not only is Garnier putting forth the resources to collect and recycle all brands of cosmetics packaging, it creates a reward system much greater than a free gift: the opportunity to give back to the community.

TerraCycle also just launched the Beauty Products Recycling Program with L'Oreal in Australia, where 21.1 million tons of waste end up in landfills each year. Consumers are empowered by the ability to easily (and at no cost to them) send their discarded beauty products for recycling, without the caveat that it must be from one brand. Participants in the program do not have to buy products to benefit, and can even earn points redeemable for a charitable donation or upcycled products.

Consumers concerned with the sustainability of their cosmetics products, whether it be where the raw materials are sourced or where the "recycled" materials from a take-back program will end up, should be asking these companies directly several important questions:

• Who is the company working with to make their initiative possible?
• 
  
• What are they doing with the materials?
• 
  
• When are they planning to share a report on the results and outcomes of their program?
• 
  
• Where are the discarded cosmetics being processed?
• 
  
• How are they being recycled?

Consumers vote for products with their wallets, and consumer vigilance for superficial sustainability claims are more important than ever. There are clearly solutions for difficult-to-recycle waste streams when companies provide the resources necessary to make them possible, and consumers have the influence to reward them instead of the many brands, retailers and companies that are jumping on the sustainability trend for profit.

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

 
gaia  

%feed  
http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.huffingtonpost.com%2Fastrid-puentes-riaao%2Factivist-deaths-demand-ac_b_10970260.html%3Futm_hp_ref%3Dgreen%26ir%3DGreen&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8  
Activist Deaths Demand Accountability  



Last year 185 environmental activists were murdered world-wide, two-thirds from Latin America, according to Global Witness. Of the ten most dangerous countries in the world for environmental defenders, seven are in Latin America.

The brave activists we lost were killed for resisting mines, dams, and other destructive industrial projects. Now, more than ever, we must demand accountability. For the loss to the environment, the loss of indigenous cultures, the loss of human rights.

That just got harder. On May 23 the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights announced a severe financial crisis leading to "suspension of [scheduled] hearings and imminent layoff of nearly half of its staff."

While the Commission has long been short on funds, this is the worst financial crisis it has ever seen. The Commission depends on funding from the Organization of American States (OAS), governments in the Americas and Europe, organizations, and foundations. Nearly all governments have decreased or failed to honor their financial commitments.

The financial crisis demonstrates that our work, and the work of colleagues, communities, and movements, is having an impact. The Commission has produced important decisions in cases involving indigenous and community rights, land and environmental protection, and destructive development projects. For a few years countries have complained that the Commission is going beyond its mandate in cases involving development projects. But of course, when development projects violate human rights, they clearly fall within the purview of the Inter-American Human Rights System.

The Belo Monte Dam case provides clear evidence that this manufactured crisis is a result of our effectiveness. In 2011 the Commission granted the precautionary measures our colleagues and we requested on behalf of affected indigenous communities. Brazil reacted by immediately withdrawing its ambassador to the OAS and by withholding funding for the rest of the year. A new ambassador did not return until 2015 and Brazil's payments haven't normalized since. In addition, after the precautionary measures were issued Brazil started an aggressive process to "reform" the Commission that ended by weakening its power.

At AIDA we have analyzed how the crisis affects our cases before the Commission; how it affects future cases that need international attention; and how it affects human rights protection in the Americas. ​

• Current cases will likely be delayed. Our case on toxic poisoning in La Oroya, Peru is already seriously delayed. The Commission has promised to release a report on the merits so the case can be taken to the next level, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. We have been told the Commission will approve the report, which has been completed, this year--despite losing 40% of its staff. This remains to be seen. Of course, we have contacted the Commission and stressed the importance of advancing the case. Informally, some judges from the Inter-American Court have indicated their eagerness to receive the case.
  
  
  
  
  Processing the Belo Monte case has only just started, after pending four years at the Commission. Strong political pressure from Brazil will likely delay it further. But political pressure on Brazil and the Commission can help the case move faster. As Belo Monte is linked to the biggest corruption scandal in Brazil, maybe the Commission will understand how relevant it is to advance the case. We will continue advocating for priority processing.

• New cases require further evaluation. We plan to bring at least one new case to the Commission soon, because unless we meet a deadline in a few weeks, the statute of limitations will prevent its consideration. All domestic remedies have been pursued; the Commission represents the last chance for justice. Despite the uncertainties of the current situation, it is important to preserve our clients' rights in case the Commission's funding is brought back to an adequate level.
  
  
  
  
  In other cases, we are looking for different ways to achieve justice. For example, we are exploring more than ever the use of national courts and national authorities. In addition, we are looking for new ways to engage financial institutions to prevent funding of projects that harm the environment and human rights.

• We are working with other organizations to develop response strategies. One of our attorneys, Rodrigo Sales, a Brazilian lawyer, recently represented AIDA at the General Assembly of the OAS. He advocated for human rights solutions in the region, among other issues. We consider collaboration and cooperation among the human rights and environmental communities to be essential. We need to stand together, showing governments and the public that human rights and the Commission are of vital importance.

The financial crisis of the Commission--an international entity for hearing and resolving hemispheric human rights concerns--is an urgent issue that requires common understanding, thinking, strategizing, and acting.

AIDA is working to make this happen.

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

 
gaia  

%feed  
http://redirect.viglink.com?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.newscientist.com%2Farticle%2F2097386-t-rex-lookalike-suggests-that-tiny-arms-developed-for-a-purpose%2F&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8  
T. rex lookalike suggests that tiny arms developed for a purpose  
A new species of dinosaur, Gualicho shinya, had tiny arms like T. rex despite coming from a separate continent, suggesting this feature evolved for a reason  
gaia  

%feed  
http://redirect.viglink.com?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.newscientist.com%2Farticle%2Fmg23130820-300-darwins-discovery-the-remarkable-history-of-evolution%2F&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8  
Darwin's discovery: The remarkable history of evolution  
Not long ago, it was thought that god created all species. That changed in 1858, but the story of evolution is riddled with myths, says Darwin expert John van Wyhe  
gaia  

%feed  
http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.huffingtonpost.com%2Fastrid-puentes-riaao%2Factivist-deaths-demand-ac_b_10970260.html&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8  
Astrid Puentes Riaño: Activist Deaths Demand Accountability  
Last year 185 environmental activists were murdered world-wide, two-thirds from Latin America, according to Global Witness. Of the ten most dangerous ...

Read more: Human Rights, Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, Latin America, Environment, Belo Monte, International Development, Green News

 
gaia  

%feed  
http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.huffingtonpost.com%2Fgreater-good-science-center%2Fcan-science-help-you-to-b_b_10970248.html%3Futm_hp_ref%3Dscience%26ir%3DScience&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8  
Can Science Help You to Become Wise?  
By Jenara Nerenberg

Krista Tippett explores the scientific inquiry into what makes us wise.

Krista Tippett is the creator and host of the award-winning radio program and podcast On Being, which features a combination of scientists and spiritual leaders taking on today's biggest and most pressing questions.



Tippett was a foreign correspondent for the New York Times and the BBC in Berlin in the 80's before studying divinity at Yale and launching On Being for NPR. In 2014, the White House awarded her a National Humanities Medal for "thoughtfully delving into the mysteries of human existence."

Her new book is called Becoming Wise: An Inquiry into the Mystery and Art of Living:

The question of what it means to be human is now inextricable from the question of who we are to each other. We have riches of knowledge and insight, of tools both tangible and spiritual, to rise to this calling. We watch our technologies becoming more intelligent, and speculate imaginatively about their potential to become conscious. All the while, we have it in us to become wise. Wisdom leavens intelligence, and ennobled consciousness, and advances evolution itself.

We talked with Tippett about her book and how scientific research can help us all understand the ancient roots of wisdom in an age of information.

Jenara Nerenberg: There are clearly boundaries and things scientists can't always touch. But do you see progress in the scientific understanding of wisdom?

Krista Tippett: It's a great advancement to simply take a concept like wisdom into the laboratory and study qualities that are in the ecosystem of wisdom, like empathy, mindful attention, implicit bias, generosity, gratitude, and forgiveness. And to me the big picture, the good news, is that we're interrogating ourselves in our fullness, the fullness of our humanity.

So much of this is a young frontier. We're just learning things about our brains and about our bodies that we never guessed before and the interaction between our physicality and emotions and what we could call spirit and consciousness, and so I really feel that the great advance is just that we got to this place.

JN: How is talking with a theologian different from talking with a scientist?

KT: This is a kind of demoralized moment for theology, I'd say. It's a confusing moment of flux for the established traditions where, until now, our investigation of things like awe and mystery and compassion have resided. I think of these traditions as these containers that have carried forward conversation and rituals across time and space.

In fact, compassion is now, I think, an urgent practical necessity in the 21st century globalized world. So, ironically, in this very moment the fruits of these traditions seem reasonable in a way--while the traditions themselves are struggling, just like every big institution, because the forms don't work anymore. They don't make sense. There is an evolution underway and it's not clear where we're headed.

But at the very same time, I think the scientific enterprise is in a renaissance. When I first started interviewing scientists 10 years ago for my program, many would at some point make this impassioned plea for seeing science as a human discipline, and they longed for the larger culture to see the value of the scientific enterprise and to celebrate it and enjoy it, in the way we enjoy music and literature. What many of them said is that people are able to enjoy music even if they couldn't have written it and wouldn't be able to read it.

In the last 5-10 years, I've seen this incredible cultural shift. Things like the Human Genome Project and the Hubble telescope, which brought amazing images of the galaxy into our living rooms, have contributed to our sense of awe. We're morphing to this place where science and scientists and scientific ideas are much more celebrated at the heart of our lives together and everyone's intrigued by them.

So there's this exuberance and this delight that scientists have and this great hope and this real excitement at being heard and a real adventurousness in this discussion and in these studies--so in fact they are the really robust voices. And I feel like the theological voice is much more muted, culturally, which is very interesting to observe.



JN: Sounds like there's been a lot of great work you're excited about related to meaning and wisdom. Is there an area where you'd like to see more scientific exploration?

KT: I'm not sure the question of wisdom is really being taken head on. We come close to it, we move in the direction of it. But we know more--and explore more--about becoming intelligent and mindful.

To me the definition of wisdom is it's not merely a possession or an action like intelligence or compassion. It is measured and experienced in terms of the effect a life has on the world.
It's not just about intelligence and it's not just about being smart. It's about being discerning, it's about figuring out what's good for us, it's about caring about what's good for others, and those are all on the path of becoming wise.

I wrote a line in my book --"Wisdom leavens intelligence, and ennobles consciousness, and advances evolution itself"--but I didn't know if it made sense from a scientific perspective. I called up an evolutionary biologist, David Sloan Wilson, and asked him, "Is it true?" He said, "Yes, wisdom advances evolution--but we have to make it true. It doesn't automatically happen."

So I think all these amazing research projects and all these scientists are moving in the direction of that question. But they're not quite putting their arms around that question. They're not quite using this knowledge that is a form of power--all these things we're learning about ourselves--to in fact find new ways to flourish and to be invested in the flourishing of others. The optimal move in a human life is to not merely grow old, but also to grow wiser.

Beyond that, I'm so interested to see how the inquiry unfolds about what consciousness is. I think that field will potentially open up a whole new complicated and interestingly uncomfortable conversation between spiritual life and science.

JN: How do you think significant hardship is related to wisdom?

KT: You know, we have this weird American thing where we somehow decided that life wasn't supposed to be hard. People in other places and at other times haven't had that luxury.

Of course, it's not all Americans, but the cultural narrative we've all assented to says that life is not supposed to be hard. The American dream is about everything always going up and up and up collectively--and that was never rooted in reality. It is still a devastating thing for a dream to die, and I think, collectively, in our generation that's what's happening and that human dynamic is behind a lot of the most disturbing things that are happening now.

Wisdom emerges through the raw materials of our lives--and a great puzzle about human life is this fact that things will go wrong. It is a promise. The things that we worry about are not the things that will go wrong. And when those things go wrong, we will suffer. At any given moment all kinds of people are suffering.

People who become wise are shaped by how they walk through that suffering. What happens to them, what goes wrong for them, and the growth that comes out of it--it becomes part of their wholeness on the other side. They take it in, they don't deny it, they don't avoid it; they let it be and they let it be part of their wholeness--and that's something like compassion, a gentleness, a tenderness. As they go through the ordinary and profound suffering of human life, they let that be a bond, part of their gift to the world. They are present to the suffering of others in a new way--because of the way they have inhabited their own suffering.

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

 
science  

%feed  
http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.npr.org%2Fsections%2Fhealth-shots%2F2016%2F07%2F13%2F485830648%2Fa-mouse-watches-film-noir-and-offers-clues-to-human-consciousness%3Futm_medium%3DRSS%26utm_campaign%3Dresearchnews&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8  
A Mouse Watches Film Noir And Offers Clues To Human Consciousness  

Researchers in Seattle have created a public observatory for studying the visual circuitry in a mouse's brain. Among the attractions: watching 18,000 neurons respond to Orson Welles' Touch of Evil.

 
science  

%feed  
http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fgo.theregister.com%2Ffeed%2Fwww.theregister.co.uk%2F2016%2F07%2F13%2Fhyperloop_one_stifled_with_lawsuit%2F&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8  
Hyperloop One lynched in hangman lawsuit  

Co-founder warns project is 'being strangled' literally by sugardaddy chairman

Tensions at the tube-traveling startup Hyperloop One have burst into the open with a lawsuit alleging physical threats, financial mismanagement and a sugardaddy chairman leaving a hangman's noose on a cofounder's chair.…

 
science  

%feed  
http://redirect.viglink.com?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fbooks%2Fbooksblog%2F2016%2Fjul%2F13%2Fjonah-lehrer-plagiarism-accusations-a-book-about-love&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8  
Don't call it a comeback: has Jonah Lehrer plagiarised again?  

He was the neuroscience whiz-kid who fell from grace in a plagiarism scandal. Now he's back with a new book and his writing is being questioned anew

The most vilified writer of modern times is back, and people are lining up to give him another kicking. Jonah Lehrer's 2012 book Imagine: How Creativity Works was pulled from shelves after it was demonstrated to contain fabricated quotes purportedly from Bob Dylan and WH Auden. He subsequently admitted to plagiarising the work of others in his blogposts, while critics noted apparent plagiarism and disregard for facts throughout his published work. The pop-neuroscience whiz-kid had, it appeared, simply stolen or made a lot of it up.

We are living in an era of post-truth politics, so why not post-truth nonfiction?

Related: Jonah Lehrer and the trouble with facts

Related: So You've Been Publicly Shamed and Is Shame Necessary? review think before you tweet

Continue reading...  
science  

%feed  
http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Ftheatlantic%2Finfocus%2F%7E3%2FvYHFSkAhi5U%2F&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8  
Searching for Pokémon Go (22 photos)  

Pokémon Go mania has firmly taken hold, as players armed with smartphones scour streets, parks, rivers, and mountains to capture creatures in the new augmented reality game. The free application is based on a 20-year old Nintendo Gameboy title in which players collect, train, and then battle Pokémon. The game was adapted to the mobile internet Age by Niantic Labs, the company that developed Ingress, a game that merged mapping capabilities with play. In the few days since it launched, Pokémon Go has been downloaded millions of times and Nintendo shares have soared.

 
images  

%feed  
http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.seattletimes.com%2Fnation-world%2Fphotos-of-the-day-july-13-2016%2F%3Futm_source%3DRSS%26utm_medium%3DReferral%26utm_campaign%3DRSS_photos-of-the-day&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8  
Photos of the Day: July 13, 2016  

Explore the news of the day with these images from around the world.  
images  

%feed  
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2016/jul/13/nasas-juno-probe-sends-back-first-images-of-jupiter  
Nasa's Juno probe sends back first images of Jupiter  

First image shows JunoCam has survived first pass through planet's extreme radiation environment, raising hopes for many more high-resolution pictures

Nasa's Juno spacecraft has sent back its first image since scientists pulled of a nail-biting manoeuvre put it into orbit around Jupiter last week.

A rather fuzzy scene, the picture shows Jupiter part-illuminated by the sun, its giant red spot clearly visible. Also visible, as bright dots in the scene, are three of its four Galilean moons, Io, Europa and Ganymede.

Related: The Juno probe: unearthing Jupiter's past - podcast

Continue reading...  
astronomy  

%feed  
https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2016/jul/12/taking-a-peek-behind-the-blue-screen  
Taking a peek behind the blue screen | Letters  
Letters: Blue screen technology | Maths teaching | New planet | Angela Eagle's voting record | In praise of Private Eye | Article 50

I noticed that the obituary of Andrew Gosling (11 July) said he was the one of the first to use the blue screen colour-separation for a TV production. This technology had already been used in the 1972 BBC production of Candide, directed by James MacTaggart and designed by Eileen Diss. Eileen's drawings for the backgrounds, in the style of 18th-century engravings, were exquisite. The downside was that the costumes, designed by Elizabeth Waller, had to be completely devoid of blue.
Vanessa Hopkins
London

• I think the teachers in my 1950s British state primary school would have been surprised to learn that they were teaching “Asian-style” maths that would be raved about in 2016 as revolutionary and groundbreaking (Report, 12 July, theguardian.com).
Elaine Luke
Fairlight, East Sussex

Continue reading...  
astronomy  

%feed  
https://www.theguardian.com/science/across-the-universe/2016/jul/12/new-orion-image-hints-at-a-wealth-of-earth-sized-planets-awaiting-discovery  
New Orion image hints at a wealth of Earth-sized planets awaiting discovery  

A stunning new image of a nearby star-forming region reveals a wealth of unexpected planets and spurs hope for finding Earth-like worlds

Stars and planets form in clouds of dust and gas called nebulae. One of the nearest is the Orion Nebula. This new image has been taken at infrared wavelengths and sees more deeply into the nebula than ever before.

Peering through the veils of dust and gas, it reveals not just stars but many more planetary mass objects than expected.

Continue reading...  
astronomy  

%feed  
https://www.designweek.co.uk/issues/11-19-july-2016/creative-industries-federation-reveals-post-brexit-programme/  
Creative Industries Federation reveals post-Brexit plan  

The Creative Industries Federation has launched a series of programmes to advise and guide creative businesses following Brexit.

The charity organisation today announced the launch of an International Advisory Council, which aims to encourage UK-based designers and creatives to think more globally.

Reports on best practice

The programme will look at examples of best practice, policy and innovation in the creative industries from across the world, and will compile these findings into biannual reports, which will initially be available for CIF's members.

The panel was planned prior to the EU referendum result, says CIF, but has started “urgently in the light of the decision to leave”. In a survey prior to the referendum, 96% of CIF members said they wanted to stay in the European Union.

Importance of creative education

It will be chaired by diplomat Tom Fletcher, who has previously been foreign policy advisor at 10 Downing Street, and will include a mix of UK-based and international “experts” from the creative industries, such as Martin Roth, director at the V&A museum, and Phil Thomas, chief executive at Cannes Lions festival.

One of the main aims of the programme is to highlight the importance of creative subjects in schools and its impact on the political and economic state of the UK, now that there is the possibility of fewer opportunities for international talent sourcing.

Sir John Sorrell, CIF founder, says: “We are a global cultural powerhouse but we need to do much more including in education if we want to stay at the top of the game.”

Series of events following Brexit

Alongside the council, the charity has also just begun a series of workshops and events country-wide to discuss the impact of Brexit on the creative industries. It hopes to pool ideas from various individuals and businesses on how to “safeguard” the creative industries and cultural education, says CIF.

The first session took place in London last week, and looked at issues including free trade, EU funding, IP protection and freedom of movement of talent.

There are three more taking place in July in Birmingham, Nottingham and Manchester, then Edinburgh, Swansea, Bristol and Newcastle will follow in the coming months. More locations will be announced at a later date.

Any organisations can apply for a place to attend the events, but CIF members have priority over places. The events are free to attend for CIF members. For more details, contact the Creative Industries Federation.

The post Creative Industries Federation reveals post-Brexit plan appeared first on Design Week.

 
design  

%feed  
https://www.designweek.co.uk/issues/11-19-july-2016/ebay-mulls-physical-presence-sainsburys/  
eBay mulls physical presence in Sainsbury's  

Following the announcement of Sainsbury's £1.4bn acquisition of the Home Retail Group it has emerged that eBay could become a physical concession within Sainsbury's stores.

While the deal has not yet been rubber stamped an agreement has been reached and has been set out in this prospectus.

The Home Retail Group owns Argos. Sainsbury's says that 1000 new Argos jobs will be created as a result of the deal.

“More concessions”

A Sainsbury's spokesman says: “In terms of what happens next we're looking at all channels food and non food and we're looking to bring more concessions in so there'll be many more Argos stores.”

eBay already has a partnership with Argos where sellers can drop off items and buyers can pick them up from a dedicated point in store. Alternatively Argos can deliver these items on behalf of sellers.

“We have to be wherever they want to shop”

Speaking to Marketing Week, eBay's director of EU advertising strategy, product and operations Phuong Nguyen has said that the concessions arrangement in Sainsbury's stores could also extend to eBay.

“The prospects are huge and the merger makes a lot of sense for both groups,” said Nguyen. “It could potentially mean that [eBay pop up stores or a click and collect set-up within Sainsbury's stores], yes.”

Nguyen added: “If there's one clear thing from the strategy with Argos we've learned it is that consumers today want to shop on their terms. We have to be wherever they are, and wherever they want to shop. If that means eBay being more present in locations around the UK then that's where we will be.

“The retailers that will win can offer world class ecommerce and world class physical retail. You can be the best on digital but sometimes a consumer just wants to touch and feel a product that's the power of pop-up locations.”

You can read a full interview with Nguyen on Marketing Week

The post eBay mulls physical presence in Sainsbury's appeared first on Design Week.

 
design  

%feed  
https://www.designweek.co.uk/issues/11-19-july-2016/bombardier-reveals-aircraft-wide-seats-accommodate-larger-flyers/  
Bombardier reveals aircraft with wide seats to accommodate larger flyers  

An aircraft with seats designed to accommodate the expanding waistlines of passengers will make a demonstration at this year's Farnborough airshow on Sunday.

Canadian company Bombardier's CS100 plane features 47cm wide window and aisle seats, as well as middle seats that are 48cm wide.

This is compared to smaller seat widths for competitor planes such as the Airbus A319 (46cm) or the Boeing 737 (44cm).

However, earlier this year Airbus filed a patent for a seat that adjusts to fit the size of the passenger.

Accommodate increasing passenger size

The larger seats are understood to have been designed to help airlines accommodate the increased size of passengers over the past few decades.

Speaking to The Guardian, Ross Mitchell, Bombardier's vice-president of commercial operations says: “We went to airlines and asked them what the appropriate sizes were. They said 18 to 19 inches because it gives people more room in the seat. Airlines were looking to have an option with more comfort.”

The CS100 is part of the C-Series family of 100 to 150 seater, single aisle aeroplanes that place emphasis on cabin design.

Bigger windows, wide aisles and large overhead luggage bins

They also feature the biggest windows in the single aisle market, large overhead luggage bins other that can accommodate a carry-on bag for each passenger and wide aisles.

The first CS100 airplane is set to enter service with airline SWISS on 15 July, when its first commercial flight will travel from Zurich, Switzerland to Paris-Charles de Gaulle.

SWISS will then go on to gradually replace its Avro RJ100 fleet and some other existing planes with the C Series.

In 2013, Seymourpowell unveiled a concept for a seat, which can morph to accommodate different sized passengers.

The post Bombardier reveals aircraft with wide seats to accommodate larger flyers appeared first on Design Week.

 
design  

%feed  
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2016/jul/13/four-seasons-goodbye-new-york-modernist-cathedral  
A man for Four Seasons: my goodbye to New York's modernist cathedral  

Mies van der Rohe designed the chairs, Rothko created the artwork (then thought better of it) and New York's power brokers did their deals over the salad and swordfish but now the exquisite restaurant's era has passed

There are elegant restaurants and erotic restaurants, restaurants for business and restaurants for pleasure and one that was all of these things, more beautiful than any other. But after six decades, the Four Seasons, as stately as ever in its glass box off Park Avenue, will complete its last service on Saturday. Then the restaurant the place Jackie Kennedy called “the cathedral”, an acme of modernist design outshining any other space in New York will be despoiled. The tables, the furnishings, and even the pots and pans will be flogged off at auction later this month. The season is summer. But for architectural preservationists, students of modern design, and lovers of New York, this is a winter of discontent.

The Four Seasons opened in 1959 at the base of the Seagram Building, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe's city-reshaping black skyscraper on Park Avenue a building that the late critic Herbert Muschamp, with slight but understandable hyperbole, once called the greatest work of architecture of the past thousand years. The architect Philip Johnson was tasked with designing the space, which he paneled in rich burled walnut; delicate window coverings made of aluminum beads made the light appear to dance. Diners sat in nimble, cantilevered chairs of Mies's design; Eero Saarinen kitted out the women's powder room with his well-known tulip chairs; and Ada Louise Huxtable, not yet the doyenne of New York architecture critics, had a hand in everything from the champagne flutes to the bread baskets.

Continue reading...  
design  

%feed  
https://www.designweek.co.uk/issues/11-19-july-2016/government-pledges-30-million-driverless-car-competition/  
Government pledges £30 million to driverless car competition  

The Government is to plough £30 million into research and development around driverless cars on UK roads.

The money will come from the Government's Intelligent Mobility fund and the competition, which launches next month, is being set up to distribute the cash to independent teams so they can research and develop “innovative, connected autonomous vehicle technologies”.

Back in February £20 million of Government money was awarded to driverless car projects and an additional £19 million has been granted to driverless car projects in Greenwich, Bristol, Milton Keynes and Coventry.

Transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin says that: “Driverless car technology will revolutionise the way we travel and deliver better journeys.

“Our roads are already some of the safest in the world and increasing advanced driver assist and driverless technologies has the potential to help cut the number of accidents further.”

In addition to the latest financial pledge the Government is also announcing a consultation on how automated cars should be used on British roads.

New measures are already being put in place so that automated vehicles can be insured for use on the roads and the Highway Code is being altered so that it considers advanced driver systems that allow cars to change lanes on motorways by themselves and vehicles that can be parked by remote control.

Motorway assist and remote control parking could be on the roads in two to four years, while driverless cars are expected from the mid-2020's onwards.

The post Government pledges £30 million to driverless car competition appeared first on Design Week.

 
design  

%feed  
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/jul/13/aylesbury-estate-south-london-social-housing  
The fall and rise of the council estate  

For decades, the Aylesbury estate in south London has been seen as a symbol of the failure of British social housing. But now just as it is being demolished many people are starting to think again

Aysen Dennis loves her flat. Two bedrooms, a neat kitchen-diner, a cosy living room, lots of light, a separate toilet and bathroom, and a much broader hallway than in the poky million-pound Victorian houses that surround her in south London all for £110 a week, plus £30 heating and service charge. Her flat is warm, and no one can see into it. “I feel free in my home,” she told me recently. “I can take off my clothes without worrying about curtains.” She still has the original 1960s kitchen cupboards, miracles of space-saving and clever joinery. South London hipsters would love them.

Dennis is not a hipster. She is 57, single, and has been unemployed for four years. She used to work in a women's refuge. Before that, three decades ago, she came to London from Turkey: a leftwing activist fleeing the aftermath of a military coup, during which she had been shot at and imprisoned, and some of her friends had been killed. After a few uneasy years in squats and shared properties “the husband of my last housemate was a racist” she moved into her flat in the spring of 1993.

Related: Housing estates: if they aren't broken…

Related: Revealed: how developers exploit flawed planning system to minimise affordable housing

Continue reading...  
design  

%feed  
https://www.designweek.co.uk/issues/11-19-july-2016/nike-redesigns-football-boot-make-intuitive/  
Nike redesigns football boot to make it more intuitive  
Nike has redesigned its football boot, with the aim of making people's feet act more intuitively when playing the game.

The Magista 2 boot has been created by Nike in-house designer Phil Woodman, who says his design is based on the idea of “how the foot might have adapted had its primary purpose been football”.

Designed around high areas of touch

It is a rework of Nike's Magista boot, focusing more this time on sensation. “We were focused on sensory amplification through feel,” says Woodman. “By delivering a better feel for the ball, players are able to confidently create on the pitch without distraction.”

The boot was recreated in partnership with Nike Sports Research Lab to discover which parts of the foot are most sensitive to touch. These were then compared against which areas on the foot experience high touch when playing football, by looking at slow motion films.

This data was then converted into a heat map on a model of a foot, revealing areas of overlap between high sensation and ball engagement.

“An organic extension of the foot”

The upper part of the shoe was then 3D-printed with peaks and troughs in certain areas, creating a textured effect. The highest peaks have been installed in high contact areas, with the hope of the making the shoe work “as an organic extension of the foot”, says Woodman.

“The texture is podular and cushioned, designed to communicate with a player's sense of touch when the ball comes in contact with it,” he says.

The colours of the heat map were also used in the exterior design of the boot, as Woodman says: “It creates an iconic aesthetic that's unlike anything else on the pitch.”

Studs rearranged into a “complete system”

More padding has been added in place of a tongue and around the collar to provide more protection in “high contact areas”.

The studs underneath the boot have also been rearranged, based on traction patterns that players take, looking at the studs' arrangement as a “complete system”. Studs of different shapes have been incorporated for various purposes, such as half-conical studs for acceleration.

The Magista 2 boot will be available to buy from 24 July via the Nike Football app. Nike is yet to release a price.

The post Nike redesigns football boot to make it more intuitive appeared first on Design Week.

 
design  

%feed  
https://www.designweek.co.uk/issues/11-19-july-2016/bbc-looking-consultancy-redesign-annual-reports/  
BBC launches £400,000 annual report redesign tender  

BBC has put out a tender to find a team to design its Annual Report and Accounts (ARA), full financial statements and six related documents.

The ARA and supporting financial documents “are key to demonstrating the BBC's accountability to licence fee payers” and play an important part in showing openness and transparency, according to the BBC.

The chosen consultancy will work with the BBC on its annual report design production, the main purpose of which is to “report publicly on the BBC's performance during the preceding financial year,” the broadcaster says.

Commencing in December, the two-year contract has the potential be extended by an additional two years at the discretion of the broadcasting company.

The contract value is £400,000, which is based on the maximum term of four years. It will run from 12 December 2016 up to 11 December 2020. Applications must be completed by 8 August 2016.

For more information, head here.

Photo: iStock

The post BBC launches £400,000 annual report redesign tender appeared first on Design Week.

 
design  

%feed  
http://99u.com/articles/54098/why-every-artist-should-be-a-great-storyteller/  
Why Every Artist Should Be a Great Storyteller  

So you're a visual artist and you rely on the visual element of your work to sell it and captivate viewers in a single glance. But while art does indeed speak for itself, it only tells part of your story. The other, often-overlooked part is “Who is the person behind the signature scribbled on this amazing piece?”

While it's impossible to pinpoint a tangible career-elevating payoff to telling your story, there are clear benefits. In today's competitive marketplace a good story can say things about your character that your art can't, which can help give you an edge over similar artists being considered for a project. It also allows you to make connections with new audiences who might not understand art the way critics do, but who appreciate your work based on how you make it.  

Storytelling might seem like an additional “to-do” that you don't have time or resources for, however, it simply requires using your words and talking about yourself (and likely something you love). As Simon Sinek says, “People don't buy what you do; they buy why you do it.” And it should provide some kind of return on your time investment, as the best kind of storytelling serves as marketing that doesn't feel like traditional marketing at all.

When you communicate your inspiration and efforts behind your pieces, you allow viewers to see your art through your eyes. This gives the viewer something tangible to share with others in conversation something that a two-dimensional piece rarely can do on its own terms. Like any craft, there is a certain rhythm and structure that leads to a successful story. Follow these four guidelines to artfully tell your narrative and ultimately expand your audience reach.

1. Learn the Storytelling Basics

You likely have an “About” profile on your website, but if it's missing an arc it's time to inject it with some life. Stories have a three-part structure with a beginning, middle, and end. The first part opens with an intriguing introduction, the middle develops that detail into the crux of the piece (the main driver of the narrative) and the end leads to how the main character accomplished their objective. Along the way, elements of surprise and eclectic characters keep things interesting. Think about your artistic journey and how you can divide it into three parts.

Start by catching the reader's attention with a strong hook a few lines that focus on what is the most unique thing about you and your artistic evolution. Maybe as a child your grandmother took you to her painting class and that time fostered a love of painting? Maybe there is a moment when someone challenged your dream to become a sculptor and you used that as fuel for your career? Or maybe you have lived all over the world and the different cultures have greatly impacted your design style? The introductory anecdote should be compelling and full of details, so you can build the rest of your story around it by answering how that moment led you to what you create today. Finish the bio by highlighting your biggest career accomplishments. Need an example to get you started? Here is one from French-American artist Gwenn Seemel that we like as a muse.

1. Invite People into Your Process

Now that you've firmed up your bio which you can use anywhere from your website to your pitch deck to your gallery exhibitions consider other ways to share your story, like through your creative process.  

Artists have a rep for being territorial about people entering their sacred studios. When their supporters only see the final masterpieces, though, they can't fathom the marathon hours, painstaking process, and level of detail that goes into the artwork. So pull back the curtain and invite the public in by using video clips, photo, and text together. It's easier than it sounds there is probably already a photographer or videographer in your tribe, so commission them to capture various shots of your studio and key stages of creation.

To do this, write out an “objective sheet” detailing the overarching story you want to tell, and the shots that will bring this to life. This could include a shot of your workspace, any production machinery or workspace décor, or action shots, which capture you at the beginning, middle, and end of your process. If you're more comfortable on camera, you could produce a video short.  

Just look at what street artist Don Rimx has done with his process shots. He regularly invites the public into his process and recently his video “Friction” caught the attention of corporate audiences who now commission his work. In the time-lapse video, Rimx shows all of the movements it takes him to paint a mural, as well as incorporates outside voices who comment on the work-in-progress.  Rimx's act of artistic vulnerability widens the reach of those who can experience his work, and it's paying off.  

1. Share Your Creative Routine  

Do you always find that people are asking you if you have any creative rituals? As mundane as this question might seem to you, an entire book has been written about the daily rituals of artists, and translated into multiple languages! Rituals are fascinating because they're not limited to specific fields or artistic disciplines, so people are inspired to apply what works for artists to their own work. And, frankly, people love hearing the war stories about people making something that makes you real and relatable and it's human nature to respect someone who works hard.  

For this, examine how you create. What do you do that's different? Maybe you balance your artistic side with a full-time career elsewhere, so you can only work late at night? Or maybe you go off into the desert to create in a space that is completely free of distraction? Like your bio, be specific on the details. Your objective here is to give your fans something to grasp onto. People likely can't get behind someone who says “I only paint when I feel inspired.” But they can applaud someone who says they go into the studio every morning at 7 a.m. and often has to work for several hours before they find the groove of a project.

UK-based multi-media artist Kirsty Elson crafts miniature homes, boats, and lighthouses out of driftwood, and draws inspiration from her seaside surroundings. When she collects driftwood at the beach, she either knows immediately what she'll create or the wood sits in her shed for years until she does. ­­ In this video, Elson discusses the full cycle of creating her art including how she gets it in the hands of customers around the world.

1. Tell your story in different ways on multiple mediums

 The idea of a “story” has been with us since the beginning of time, but today what that looks like can range from the traditional body of text to a one-sentence Instagram post. That gives you many channels to explore. If you have a weekly newsletter or blog, those are natural places to begin sharing your processes and routines. If you're still building out your reader list, you can test out the various social media channels to see what drums up interest and feels most natural. You might find that it's easier to share your process shots on a medium like Instagram due to its visual nature, while you can better articulate the finer points of your creative routine through blogging.

If writing is not your forte or you're pressed for time, another way to tell your story is to include brief captions below artwork on your website describing the inspiration/idea behind each piece. A few years ago, my firm was charged with publicizing Strong Families “Mama's Day Our Way” campaign—a national initiative led by Forward Together where more than 20 artists were commissioned to create e-cards for mothers who are often overlooked in the mainstream celebration of Mother's Day. Strong Families wanted to reach both sites that focus on parenting and LGBTQ issues and the mainstream press. To make the campaign about more than the image on the cards, we asked the artists to share why they wanted to be involved in the campaign and what was their inspiration behind their card image.

By having our artists discuss their works from different perspectives, we were able to capture the attention of a range of publications, including Salon.com, the New York Daily News, Buzzfeed Advocate.com, Jezebel, and PolicyMic, who ran pieces on the campaign and included the artists' quotes in them. During the pitch process, the approach to capture the artists' voices and stories allowed my small, scrappy firm to edge out larger agencies to lead this campaign and resulted in us getting work on future national campaigns. 

***

At its core, storytelling is about making an authentic, human connection. When people feel like they're part of your artistic process, and you're willing to share a glimpse into your journey, they'll root for you and support your work. Seemel said it best, “Trying to be an artist helps you to appreciate the tenacity it takes to market yourself successfully as an artist. This might lead you to support the efforts of artists in your life by promoting their art or buying it.”

Storytelling, when done right, will increase your influence and have existing and new audiences talking about your work in a digestible fashion that feels natural, and produce a ripple effect of supporters who want to invest in your art and you.

 

 
culture  

%feed  
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/video/2016/jul/13/steve-bell-on-david-camerons-resignation-video  
Steve Bell on drawing David Cameron: 'So many years, so many condoms' video  

As David Cameron moves out of 10 Downing Street, Guardian cartoonist Steve Bell looks back at his time drawing him as Tory leader. He looks at the development of his caricature, from transparent jelly fish to rubber man, and recalls Cameron's response to being drawn with a condom over his head

• WARNING: contains swearing
  

Continue reading...  
culture