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In 2014, Chris Bustamante got a call from his friend, Rolando Martinez, asking him to drop what he was doing and take a drive upstate New York with him the next day for a quick skateboarding trip. Bustamante's gut reaction was to decline the invitation. He'd been introduced to downhill skateboarding only two years ago—by another friend, Tyler Pizzanelli, who worked at Flying Point Surf Shop in Southampton—and while he enjoyed the thrill of cruising down the gently sloping hills Long Island has to offer, he wasn't sure if he was ready for flying down actual mountains. Bustamante made excuse after excuse, but Martinez persisted, telling him he wouldn't hang up the phone until Bustamante agreed to the trip.
Less than 24 hours later, Bustamante and Martinez were on their boards as they made their way down Bear Mountain. It was a transformative experience for Bustamante.
"It was the first time I felt the chaotic but calm sensation of being in a pack with friends, going over 40 miles per hour on a beautiful mountain road," he said.
That feeling—the pure adrenaline rush that speed offers, combined with the comfort and camaraderie of doing it in a pack—is what Bustamante, 26, says drew him to the sport of downhill skateboarding. Five years later, it has taken him farther than he ever imagined. He recently returned from Barcelona, Spain, where he competed in the World Roller Games, an 11-day competition that features a number of "roller" sports, such as downhill skateboarding and inline hockey. Think speed-skating, downhill skiing, and figure skating, but on inline skates and skateboards. Because he has dual citizenship due to his father moving to the United States at age 19, Bustamante represented Colombia, an opportunity he was afforded because he belongs to Fedepatin COL, which is the downhill skateboarding federation of Colombia, and had the resources to earn him an invitation to the event. In men's pro downhill skateboarding, Bustamante finished in the top 35 out of 120 of the best riders in the world and had the best finish out of his Colombian teammates.
Bustamante, who was born in Southampton but grew up in Montauk and graduated from East Hampton High School in 2011, now splits his time between the East End—where he works for the family business, Warren's Nursery Inc. based in Water Mill, owned by his mother and father, Victoria and Fernando Bustamante—and Santa Barbara, California. He heads out to the West Coast for a few months every winter, where he skates and reconnects with friends he made during a year studying landscape design at Santa Barbara Community College. Growing up in Montauk, Bustamante tried other sports as a kid. His older brother, Nick Bustamante, 27, was into surfing, the town's pastime, but Bustamante said he connected with downhill skateboarding because it appealed to him in a way surfing did not.
"I think what drew me away from it was having to wait for the right wave, and the patience needed to get a good ride," he said. "With skateboarding, the wave is always perfect; instant gratification every time."
If downhill skateboarding sounds insanely dangerous, it is—kind of. There's no denying that riding a skateboard down steep and winding mountain roads at speeds that are more normal for a car on a highway isn't safe, no matter the amount of protective gear—and there's a lot of it; helmets, gloves, and full body leather suits—that's involved. But Bustamante and other devotees of the sport like to emphasize the high level of skill and strategy that's involved in getting to the point where doing that doesn't seem like such an enormous risk.
"I know it sounds cliché, but it's just like anything else. If you are really into skating and take the time to learn at your own pace, safely, then you're going to be fine," he said. "Usually what draws people away are bad crashes when someone is pushing themselves past their boundaries too early.
"You definitely have to be ready for some road rash at first, but once you start feeling pretty good at speeds of around 30 miles per hour, accidents become fairly avoidable."
Bustamante says that these days, he reaches speeds in the 40-to-45-mph range on a regular basis, but he's gone as fast as 70 mph. Races are crowded affairs as well, with anywhere from 50 to 200 skateboarders, separated into four-man heats. The races can range from 1 to 3 miles long, taking anywhere from one and a half to four minutes to complete. People unfamiliar with the sport tend to hone in on the extreme speeds, but Bustamante said the skill and strategy involved are often underappreciated.
"People usually assume off the bat that downhill skateboarding is just standing on a board trying to make it down, and even though that's technically what we're doing, there's so much technique and skill that goes into it," he said. Fine-tuning a tuck position for optimal aerodynamics and perfecting a "tuck-lean" through corners are important skills to have in a skateboarder's arsenal; drafting is another key aspect to success, as is learning the best ways and most appropriate times to pass another rider—in a straightaway (easier) or in a corner (trickier). Touching another rider is sometimes necessary for safety and spatial awareness purposes, but it can also result in a disqualification if an official determines it was unfair or unwarranted.
And then there is the battle every competitive athlete deals with, perhaps more acutely felt for those in sports that have a high degree of danger.
"Race mentality is something that is easy for some and can be very unnerving and scary for someone else," Bustamante said. "I personally deal with race stress by doing my best to stay calm and have fun and not worry about the outcomes. I'm still working my way there, but when I started racing and competing, I had a very hard time dealing with my nerves. So I'm happy to be where I'm at now."
In terms of a competitive career as a downhill skateboarder, Bustamante is still in the beginning phases of gaining experience and notoriety. The World Roller Games was his first international competition, although he's raced in several states across the country, from the Northeast to North Carolina to California, averaging about five to seven competitions each year. The fact that most races are in the summer, which is when Bustamante is busiest at work, means he doesn't make it to quite as many competitions as he'd like, but he says time spent in Santa Barbara from January through April helps make up for that.
Sponsorships—from Pantheon Longboards, Skidz NYC apparel, Valkyrie Trucks, and Riptide Bushings—have given Bustamante an extra boost. He also skates with a group called The Hilltown Crew, out of Springfield, Massachusetts. The group, founded by Jeff Molongoski, whose son, Ryder, is a downhill skater, hosts Northeast skaters on a regular basis at a cabin in Massachusetts. Those trips, Bustamante says, have helped solidify his love for skating and hanging out with like-minded individuals.
He does, however, have his sights set on bigger goals.
"I'd really like to start finishing at least top 10 more consistently at most races coming up this year and next year," he said. He hopes to compete in the next World Roller Games, set for 2021 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He mentioned the possibility of downhill skateboarding being added to the 2024 Olympics, like street skateboarding was for the upcoming 2020 Olympics, and said he'd try for that big goal.
"I will be 29 then, but it would be a dream to be a part of something like that," he said. He admitted that once he hits his 30s, traveling and competing probably won't be as big a part of his life, but he said he doesn't anticipate ever forgetting the feeling that drew him to the sport in the first place.
"It will never truly be gone from me."

subset: commoncrawl


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This Is Important: It Feels Like 1995 Again
by Jonathan Baker-Bates
This is a post about decentralised systems. Bear with me.
I was reading this about an Internet primer in FHM magazine, dated 1995. The writer is about the same age as I was when the article was published. The tone of the piece is familiar. Back then, the Internet was seen as a minority interest, like drag racing or macramé. I recall having to tone down my enthusiasm for it in polite company. I had people laugh at me in public for asserting that the Internet would be bigger than TV.
Great has been my satisfaction on it becoming what it is today. But like all grand dreams, the reality hasn't been quite what I expected.
In The Beginning
In about 1994, I logged into a bulletin board called "Fast Breeder".
A Google search for which now only turns up a passing mention here and there, along with undated but fascinating screeds such as these, soon to disappear like tears in rain. I may have to save them for posterity.
Fast Breeder's line was usually busy after 6:00pm (the cheap rate), but when you managed to get on, there was a message on the screen that said:
Death to the communications monopolies! May ten thousand autonomous systems bloom!
That message dropped a bomb into my 20-something self like Luke's X-wing into the death star. The idea of ten thousand systems publishing whatever they wanted was fascinating. If I counted up the traditional media sources I had access to at the time, I doubt it would have numbered much more than 200 across maybe ten owners. So the moment I realised what Fast Breeder was – information without regulation – I was hooked.
(And yes, I did later go on to work for The Daily Mail. That was all part of the plan…)
But there was a problem. This new media was complicated. It made Caxton's print revolution look like plain sailing. You needed not only to be able to read, you needed a modem. And a computer. And a bit later on you needed Trumpet Winsock… So I became a sort of conduit between the online world and real life. Constantly trying to explain what online was. What modems did, what baud rates were about… It was hard work. Hardly anyone understood me because I barely understood it myself.
But I knew something big – something HUGE – was happening that would affect all our lives somehow.
Gradually, as 1995 passed into 2000, which then passed into 2005, the online world had leaked into the real world sufficiently well for me to realise that I was spending hardly any effort explaining or evangelising it. The online world was doing that for me now. The Facebooks and Twitters were arriving and doing it for me.
And now I get totally confused by Snapchat. Certainly didn't see that coming.
They Stole our Revolution, Now We're Stealing It Back
The above title is the strapline from NTK, another part of the (later) "digital underground" as it was often called before the word "darknet" eclipsed that now rather quaint idea.
But now it's 2016 and I'm getting the feelings. The same feelings I had in 1995 understanding baud rates, Fast Breeder, NNTP clients and Fidonet. The same feelings of frustration about not being able to explain; of barely understanding… But it's underpinned by the same vague feeling that SOMETHING BIG is happening.
And that thing is the blockchain. The blockchain is as central to my feeling about the future as the ownership of a modem was in 1995. As important to the idea of communication as Fast Breeder was. As beyond my understanding as Trumpet Winsock was. But I know it's important.
To explain this stuff any further is probably futile, so I'll just leave these here for anyone who wants to get that 1995 feeling:
First, a primer (and I'd follow @leashless if I were you too):
"By the end of this article, you're going to understand blockchains in general (and Ethereum, a next-generation blockchain platform, in particular) well enough to decide what they mean to your life."
And Now for Some Implementations
Twister: a peer-to-peer microblogging (follow me @gilgongo)
Auger: "Imagine an Early Warning System for Everything"
IPFS: "The permanent web"
This article was originally published on webtorque.org and has been lightly edited for style.
This article is now up on hacker news, feel free to discuss there


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Who is God?
God is the Creator and Ruler of the universe. God created the Earth in six days. He is Holy and without error. God has always been and always will be in existence. God is all powerful and all knowing; and His perfect knowledge extends to all things, past, present, and future, including the future decisions of His free creatures. God reveals Himself to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, with distinct personal attributes, but without division of nature, essence, or being. (Read Genesis 1:1; 2:7; Exodus 3:14; 6:2-3; Colossians 1:15; Hebrews 11:6)
Who is Jesus?
Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He is coequal with God the Father. Jesus lived a sinless human life and offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all people by dying on a cross. He arose from the dead after three days and has power over sin and death. He ascended into Heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God where He is the One Mediator (or advocate), fully God, fully man, in whose Person is effected the reconciliation between God and man. (Read Matthew 1:22,23; Isaiah 9:6; John 1:1-5)
Why should I trust the Bible?
The Bible was written by men divinely inspired and is God's revelation of Himself to man. It is a perfect treasure of divine instruction. It has God for its author, and is without error. All Scripture is true and trustworthy. It reveals the principles by which God judges us, and therefore is, and will remain to the end of the world. It is the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and opinions should follow. It is our guide for living. Our first question when faced with a decision should be, "What does the Bible say?" Everything we need to live our lives can be found in the Bible! (Read Exodus 24:4; Matthew 5:17-18; Romans 15:4; 2 Timothy 3:15-17; Hebrews 1;1-2).
Is Jesus More than a Man?
What is sin?
Why is the cross of Jesus Christ so important to me?
How can I know for sure that if I died, I will go to Heaven?
Salvation is offered freely to all who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. All you have to do is repent of your sins and place your faith and trust in Jesus Christ. Repentance is a genuine turning from sin toward God. Faith is the acceptance of Jesus Christ and commitment to Him as the Lord of your life. Salvation through Jesus Christ brings about a "new you", or re-birth. It is not a physical re-birth, but a spiritual re-birth, or regeneration. This re-birth is the work of God's grace whereby those who believe in Jesus become new creatures. It is a change of heart. The Bible teaches us that once we place our faith and trust in Jesus Christ, we are adopted into God's family. In essence, we become a child of God. That relationship can never be broken, and God promises us that we will always be in His family if we choose to have faith in Christ. The true believer in Jesus Christ is secure in that salvation is for eternity. Your place in Heaven is sealed. It is the grace and keeping power of God that gives us this security. (Read Romans 8:38; John 10:29; 2 Timothy 1:12; I Peter 1:3-5; Romans 10:9-10; Romans 5:8-10)


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February 5, 1971, Page 14Buy Reprints
Cosmos became the nickname yesterday for New York's entry in the North American Soccer League. The name was chosen from 3,000 entries filed in a contest conducted throughout the metropolitan area.
The winning name was submitted by two coaches at Martin Van Buren High School in Queens. The coaches, Meyer Diller and Al Cappelli, won a trip to Europe in April.
Diller and Capelli said that they had two reasons for entering the name Cosmos. They felt that since the word cosmos means the universe, the nickname sets a high standard for the team. They also felt that cosmos, as part of the word cosmopolitan—which means belonging to all parts of the world—tended to give the nickname an all‐embracing connotation.
Diller is the soccer coach at Martin Van Buren and Capelli is the track and field coach.


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Landing in Athens was like landing in a movie set or TV series such as Spartacus. The history that steeps the rolling hills can't hide what this grand city was like all those years ago.
Anyone who doesn't visit the obvious historic sites is a fool, these wonders of the world won't last forever and many will never see them in a lifetime. Visiting the 'The Acropolis' is a must as it hosts the famous Parthenon, completed in 438 BC, it's the first thing you see when landing into Athens. For a mere 12 euros and a short, but steep, walk to the top it's well worth every penny. If you fancy a different view, then trek up to the top of Mount Lycabettus, being 277 metres above sea level you really won't have a better photo opportunity than that!
For catching a few rays you have plenty of options with the beaches only being a short train ride towards the coast. Why not grab a boat for the day and charter one of Incrediblue's beautiful catamarans, not only perfect for tanning but a great way to see the rest of the coastline in just half a day! If you're looking for something a little more relaxing, then I must recommend you head to Lake Vouligameni. With an entry fee of just 9 euros and only 25 minutes south of Athens you won't regret heading to this natural spa. Perfect for sunbathing and swimming in the crystal clear waters, but watch out for the free fish pedicure when dangling your feet into the lake!
If the beaches and history aren't enough to grab your attention, then the food will certainly do the trick. Forget those dodgy kebabs lining the streets of England awaiting your next drunken adventure – the gyros here are unbelievable, all served with fresh red onion, plump Mediterranean tomatoes, a side of fries and of course tzatziki! We then have Spanakopita, a local delicacy and translated as a Spinach Pastry. A divine mixture of spinach, feta, onion and egg, layered with filo pastry, and a must have when visiting any part of Greece on your holiday.
Getting to and around Greece is super easy with well-connected train links and extremely friendly locals. The accommodation options are endless with stunning boutique hotels, white walled villas and hidden, intimate hostels. Who wouldn't want to travel here?
Fancy immersing yourself into this ancient city or maybe you'd prefer to island hop these sun-drenched parts of the world? If so, you know what to do!


text:
HMIS Participating Agencies
The Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) is a collaborative, online tool for the real-time management of client and services data entered and maintained by homeless service providers throughout San Diego County. Participating Agencies are those agencies who have agreed to be a part of the "trust network" of homeless service providers utilizing the HMIS according to established policies, procedures, and protocols designed to foster collaboration, enhance service delivery, and safeguard information.
HMIS Trust Network
View the HMIS Trust Network – updated 01/07/2020
Manage Participation Status
Currently renewal of your HMIS participation status cannot be completed through this site. All HMIS license fees are due annually and all current PAs will be contacted via email to renew their status as active HMIS PAs. If you have questions about your HMIS participation status, please contact the HMIS Support team.
Update Agency HMIS Contacts
All HMIS participating agencies are required to identify four staff members who will serve as key contacts for HMIS purposes and liaisons between the Regional Task Force and their agency for all HMIS matters. These roles are described in the HMIS Policies and Procedures as well as in this online form. If you are a participating agency and need to update your HMIS contacts, please do so by completing this online form.
HMIS Policies and Procedures
The guidelines informing the roles and responsibilities of being an HMIS Participating Agency are extensive and may be found in the HMIS Policies and Procedures. If you would like to learn more about how to become an HMIS Participating Agency, please contact the HMIS Support team.


text: This is not how I expected my journey to go. It's not where I thought I'd be. It couldn't be more perfect though if I had arranged it all myself. Sometimes something larger than yourself is dictating a path and you have a choice to ignore it, though it that would be folly, or you have the choice of flowing as the water does towards the shore. I decided in a split second …Read More


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The information below is preserved for archive purposes.
The districting process is now complete.
This is your chance to shape Rancho Cucamonga's future by drawing your own map of proposed Council Districts. Every plan submitted in time will be posted online for public review and considered for adoption by the City Council.
You can use the "One-Page Map" to draw a plan that follows the borders you think work best, with equal populations in each district. Or use the "Detailed Kit" to review the specific race and ethnic data for each "Population Unit" of geography before deciding in which district to place it. If you are comfortable using Microsoft Excel, use the "Excel Supplement" together with the map of population units in the "Detailed Kit" to have Microsoft Excel calculate the population and demographics of each district as you draw them.
You can draw a plan of four districts covering the entire City. Or just draw the one district you think works best for your neighborhood. The City Council welcomes and encourages whatever you wish to submit.
While the kits and supplementary maps below can be useful tools, you do not have to use them. Feel free to draw your proposed district(s) on any handy map, or just sketch them on a piece of paper. We welcome whatever you wish to submit.
Public Participation Kits
(Click on the title below to download the kit that you want to use.)
One-Page Map Kit [coming soon]
This detailed map in Adobe PDF format is designed for printing on 11x17" paper, but works 8.5x11" too.
Detailed Kit in English or Spanish (or, if you want larger maps, 11x17 in English or Spanish).
Use as much, or as little, of this Adobe PDF format, information-rich packet as you find useful. The packet contains the following:
Excel Kit Supplement (Click and then save the file to your own computer) in English or Spanish
Designed to be used with the map of Population Unit identification numbers in the Detailed Kit, this Microsoft Excel file will add up the demographic data for each proposed district. The user need only enter the desired district assignment for each Population Unit.
This kit greatly simplifies the math of drawing plans for users already familiar with Microsoft Excel, but anyone unfamiliar with Microsoft Excel can still draw plans with the One-Page or Detailed kits.
Demographic maps for those interested in them:
{Contact NDC if there are other maps you would like to see}
Send in your proposal or ask questions about using the kits:
For any questions about using the kits, contact Douglas Johnson or Justin Levitt from NDC:
mail: PO Box 5271, Glendale, CA 91221
phone or fax: (818) 254-1221
E-Mail: email@example.com


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Hey everyone, i got doom 3 a few days ago but haven't been able to really get into it yet because it keeps freezing and crashing at random spots after a few minutes of playing :mad: - what can i do to stop this!?! also, using my setup, does anyone know what the optimal settings for playing would be? thanks!
emachines M6809
Mobile AMD Athlon 64
ATI Mobility Radeon 9600
Processor 3200+
2 GHz
512 MB of RAM


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GULF OF MEXICO — Tropical Storm Humberto has formed in the Atlantic, south of the Cape Verde Islands and could eventually become a hurricane.
The storm's maximum sustained winds early today are near 40 mph. But the U.S. National Hurricane Center says Humberto is expected to strengthen and could become a hurricane on Wednesday.
A tropical storm warning is in effect for the southern Cape Verde Islands of Maio, Santiago, Fogo and Brava.
The storm is centered about 145 miles southeast of the southernmost Cape Verde Islands and is moving west near 12 mph.
… we'd like to ask for your support. More people are reading the Mississippi Business Journal than ever before, but advertising revenues for all conventional media are falling fast. Unlike many, we do not use a pay wall, because we want to continue providing Mississippi's most comprehensive business news each and every day. But that takes time, money and hard work. We do it because it is important to us … and equally important to you, if you value the flow of trustworthy news and information which have always kept America strong and free for more than 200 years.
If those who read our content will help fund it, we can continue to bring you the very best in news and information. Please consider joining us as a valued member, or if you prefer, make a one-time contribution.Click for more info


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Not many can rival Giovanna Battaglia Engelbert, Contributing Fashion Editor to W Magazine and Senior Fashion editor at Vogue Japan, when it comes to wearing sequins. By day or by night, Battaglia Engelbert's sequin ensembles are the epitome of high-wattage chic.
Sequins goes hand-in-hand with the festive season and for ageless party style, here are some 'grown up' ways to shine bright – and look more 'Giovanna' than 'Tina Sparkle':
- Balance is key to wearing 'grown-up' sequins. Wear one statement piece either top or bottom.
- Opt for for classic and simple silhouettes – avoid over-the-top styles at all costs.
- For formal events when full-wattage shine is acceptable, avoid looking like a disco ball with clean lines and simple, classic designs.
- When it comes to accessorising and beauty don't OD on the dazzle – under-statement is vital.
Shine Bright in Sequin Top
For formal events, pair a sequin top with classic cut pants; for casual soirees jeans are a modern and ageless choice.
Shimmering Restraint
Sass & Bide's striped asymmetrical sequin skirt is the perfect amount of dazzling restraint – especially when paired with a simple silk cami.
Add Shimmer to Staples
Amp up the style volume to a chic wardrobe staple – palazzo pants. Pair with a simple silk cami and tuxedo jacket.
Razzle Dazzle
Pair head-to-toe dazzle with simple, understated accessories and beauty looks.
The post OVER-40 TIPS ON HOW WEAR SPARKLES THIS HOLIDAY SEASON appeared first on Frocknet..


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Spoiler Alert: Agent Cooper's FBI Pin
I have noticed that Agent Cooper's shoes aren't the only thing missing when he manifests into the real world...he's also missing his FBI lapel pin. He is wearing it in all of the black lodge scenes but as soon as he lands on the floor in the house for sale, his pin is notably missing. Scince Agent Cooper appears to only be a shell of himself (no memory/reset/etc.) I'm wondering if the pin is additional proof that he's not "completely" Agent Cooper?!?!
Logistically it would put a wrinkle in the wandering Cooper storyline if he was found with an FBI pin, but like many things with Twin Peaks, I don't know if it's a mystery/clue or if I'm over-analyzing. 🙂
I was curious if anyone else noticed this and/or had any thoughts?
I didn't notice! Good observation.
This is the water and this is the well. Drink full and descend. The horse is the white of the eyes and dark within.
Cooper is missing the FBI pin in the black and white scene with the giant/????.
He's also missing the pin in FWWM, when Jeffries says, "Who do you think that is, there?" Not sure if that's an important detail or simply coincidence.
We. Have. Not. Seen. The. Black. Lodge. Yet. Coop is in the waiting room when we see him.
We are told explicitly it is the Black Lodge in episode 29, when Sarah Palmer gives Major Briggs the message ("I'm in the Black Lodge with Agent Cooper"). I have always assumed the waiting room is simply a part of the Lodge, not its own separate place.
I believe you are going to find this to be an important observation indeed.


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According to the Indian chronicles, the name 'Bhutan' is derived from Sanskrit word 'Bhotanta' meaning 'the end of Tibet' or from 'Bhu-uttan' meaning 'high-land'. According to the classical Tibetan chronicles, the place is referred to as
(i) 'Lhomon Tsenden Jong' which stands for 'the southern 'Mon' country of Sandalwood (Chandan)',
(ii) 'Lhomon Men Jong' referring to 'the southern 'Mon' country of Medicine (herbs).
The Bhutanese people follow Nyingma and Drugpa Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism. But the Bhutanese chronicles mention Bhutan as "Drug Yul" meaning "the Land of the Thunder Dragon" in reference to the predominant Drugpa school of Tibetan Buddhism in Bhutan, which is the nationalist interpretation of Bhutan. The territory is populated by the Tibetan people who do not follow Drugpa Kagyu Buddhism and other parts also do not follow Drugpa school of Buddhism, therefore, this name does not represent all the people of Bhutan inclusively, so it is debatable.
The history of Bhutan is directly linked with Padmasambhava's visit at around 747 AD. Padmasambhava has eight manifestations (Gure Chengye) and among theme is the Dorje Dolo and he subdued the local deity (Capricorn-dikpa) by transforming into the profound figure sitting on the pregnant tigress. He was transformed in this vision in Paro valley at Taktsang Lhakhang meaning Tigress's Nest.
King Songtsan Gampo made thirteen 'Lhakhang' in Tibet and the Tibetan Cultural Region surrounding Tibet, assuming the Tibetan cultural territory as the body of Vajra Varahi and he made the temples in the important points of her body. Among these Lhakhangs, two important Lhakhangs are within the territory of modern Bhutan. Therefore, we can infer that Buddhism entered into the area of Bhutan during the 7th century. The two Lhakhangs:
1. Kyichu Lhakhang at Paro, and
2. Jhyampa Lhakhang at Bumthang, are the examples of the expansion of Tibetan Buddhism in Bhutan. The precious master, Guru Rinpoche, who came to this area to subdue the local deities and expand Buddhism in this region, further carried Tibetan Buddhism of Bhutan. The Pedma Kathang mentions the reference to these places in detail. Similarly, the famous Padmasambhava's consort (Dakini) Tashi Khyidron is believed to be a Bhutanese lady.
The Bhutanese also refer to the story of Khikharatho (a man with the head of a goat and a body of man) and they have a place khenpajong and falsely mention the place to be khenpalung of Nepal, one of the Beyul predicted by Padmasambhava known as Guru Rinpoche.
The second propagation of Buddhism took place in the Bhutanese territories after the Kagyupa masters came to this region and established their lineage. The first Drigung Kagyu Lama (1164-1224) came to Bhutan in the twelfth century and developed Buddhism, which later became the important lineage in the western territories of Bhutan, which still exists, in livelier form. Following the trend another Tibetan lama PhajoDrugon Zhigpo (1208-76), a direct disciple of Tsangpa Gyare, came to Bhutan and established Drugpa Kagyu School of Buddhism and made the Tango Gompa at Phajoding in the thirteenth century and propagated Buddhism in this region. The most important Tibetan Lama of Drugpa Kagyu School, Kunga Legpa known as Drugpa Kunleg (1455-1529), one of the three Divine Madmen, came to this region and made a Palung Gumpa at and propagated Buddhism in Bhutan. The Tibetan chronicles mention his name as Drug Nyon Heruka (meaning the Madman with the Garland of the bones of a dead person and meditating on the crematorium. Therefore, he is referred as the establisher of Buddhism in Bhutan and he is the important cultural iconic figure of Bhutan.
Similarly, 14th century Nyingma Master Longchenpa (1308-63) came to Bhutan, therefore, the Nyingma School of Tibetan Buddhism exists in Bhutan. When the sponsors of Longchenpa had a confrontation, he came to Bhutan in exile and got married to the Bhutanese lady by giving up monkhood. He made two important Gompas at Bumthang: Tharpaling and Samtenling; and propagated Buddhism in this area. Later he returned to Tibet and wrote the terma texts on Beyuls. The Bhutanese Lama Pema Lingpa, a famous terma master further strengthened Nyingma Buddhism in Bhutan. He is famous for his contribution in the Terma revealing of Guru Rinpoche. He is believed to be the incarnation of Guru Rinpoche and Longchenpa. Therefore, the Bhutanese Buddhism is the combination of Nyingma and Dugpa Kagyu School of Tibetan Buddhism in the royal lineage.
Later, Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal (1597-1651), the fifth incarnation of Drugpa Kagyu, the lama who was not accepted as the incarnation, came to Bhutan in the western part and united Bhutan. He is therefore known as the father of modern Bhutan. He made dzongs to protect Bhutan from the foreign invasions and along with the head and made the division of authority or power. He looked after the administrative part and Je-Khenpo looked after the spiritual functioning of Buddhism in Bhutan. The Je-Khenpo must be a follower of Drugpa-Kagyu School of Buddhism. He also came to Nepal and supported the expansion of Buddhism here. The present Je-Khenpo is the 72nd lineage holder of the first spiritual master. Later, lineage holder of Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal was killed by Urgen Wangchug (Dec.17,1907) and became the first secular king and established the Wangchug Dynasty in Bhutan. The third king Jigme Dorje made Bhutan famous to the world and even made a member of UN in 1971. The present king is Jigme Singe Wangchug, the fifth Chogyal monarch of Bhutan. The main mission of the Bhutanese kingdom was on the Gross National Happiness, as a result, the other people who followed different form of religion felt dominated and went to exile as refugees.


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This design was stitched for Inspirations magazine and is featured in the July 2017 edition.
The design measures 5 1/2 x6 1/4″ or 14 by 16 cm.
I love my cottage garden and always aspire to growing a quintessentially English country garden – courtesy of the weather, bugs and various other factors this does not always happen – far easier to stitch it! I created this design combining both silk ribbons and perle and stranded cotton threads to create this typical country garden scene.
The kit contains everything needed to complete it, including the design screened onto the fabric, muslin for backing, silk ribbons, threads, needles, instructions, stitch glossary and colour photographs.
The finished item may be made be framed or made up into a cushion.
All of my designer kits are beautifully packaged and presented in sturdy carrier bags, making them very suitable as gifts.


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It is time to start talking about the Tampa Bay Rays baseball franchise moving to Ybor.
The Tampa Bay Times, in an article written by Paul Gazzo, states that Ybor was once known as the Cigar Capital of the World, but has not been able to make that claim since the 1950s. The problem he suggests is that since the 1950s, Ybor hasn't had an identity. His hope is that as the home of the Rays the city will resolve that problem.
The bigger issue is how do cities create an identity and what does that mean for those who live there?
Many cities have their identities handed to them by the industries that dominated their landscape. The skyscrapers of General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler loomed over Detroit, the Motor City. Iron forging factories sprung up along the rivers of Pittsburgh, the Steel City. The shadow of Mickey and of course it's mother company Disney World influenced the development of Orlando as the most popular vacation destination on the globe. These and other industries have shaped the identity of cities.
There is nothing wrong with the relationship between industry and community. After all, it is our desire to bring a cigar renaissance to Tampa, to Ybor. However, we want that renaissance to embody certain values and to foster what is the best of who we are as people and celebrate that.
For Tabanero Cigars that means honoring tradition and the people who have gone before us. It means celebrating and sharing the cultures that are represented in Tampa. It means empowering both artisans and entrepreneurs to cultivate their crafts and ideas. It means striving for beauty in harmony with what we do and where we are. So, we welcome baseball and specifically the Tampa Bay Rays to Ybor. We also challenge and implore them to help us create an identity that embraces these values, the values that are present in every handmade cigar that we offer to you at Tabanero.
We strongly believe that Tampa will once again become the Cigar Capital of the World. Tabanero Cigars is working in harmony with others to make a network of artisan shops. Both baseball and cigars have a long and rich tradition in America. It seems only natural that the Rays will be playing in our backyard.
We look forward to the future possibilities.


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Punters heat up Australia's wildest races
Dressed in flannelette, fascinators and everything in between, punters lived up to the fashion brief of "everything goes" at the wildest race day in Australia.
Road trip idea made mum $53k
In 2017, Faith and her two young children went on an Aussie road trip of a lifetime. That is when they came up with an ingenious idea.
Tourist mocked over dumb Sydney question
They say no question is a stupid question, but this poor traveller's query about driving in Sydney really tests the limit.
Tourists turned away from Aussie beach
Thousands of drivers are being turned away from one of Australia's most beautiful beaches as the hotspot explodes in popularity.
Aussie intersection driving us mad
THE intersection is stupidly designed - and for thousands and thousands of drivers, it is completely unavoidable.
We quit work to travel with our two kids
BRYONY Sumner once took a flight with a baby and never wanted to leave the house again. So her husband's idea for a family adventure took a lot of convincing.
The cheap holiday Aussies forget
IT'S good for your soul, it won't break the bank, and you'll see things that will stay with you forever. So why is it Aussies tend to overlook this holiday?
Is this the end for Australia's Big Things?
THEY'VE been beloved by holiday-makers for decades but Australia's iconic Big Things are now becoming a big problem. Is it time to see them go?
50 years of our favourite holiday spot
IT IS one of Australia's best holiday destinations, so it's hard to believe just 50 years ago the Sunshine Coast technically didn't exist.
Proof everything's more beautiful in Australia
SOMETIMES we don't appreciate what we have in our own backyard. But these jaw-dropping Aussie spots should be right at the top of your travel bucket list.
This has to be Australia's 'richest' spot
THIS area once produced most of the world's gold. But the Victorian Goldfields, about an hour from Melbourne, is still as impressive as ever — and it offers a lot of other gems, too.
Weird Aussie spots you might not know
AUSTRALIA really is a weird and wonderful place. And these are the most interesting, hidden gems most tourists miss.
There's nothing better than camping with a dog
THESE are the best Aussie spots to go on a camping adventure with your pooch — and what you should do to make sure it's the best trip possible.
Dave Hughes: 'I drove for 44 hours straight'
THE Aussie comedian has revealed his most epic road trip — and what was waiting for him at the other end.
Australia's most beautiful road trip
IT'S easy to see why these glacier-sculpted mountain peaks and misty alpine moorlands have become a pilgrimage for bushwalkers from all over the globe.
This place changed my mind about camping
FORGET everything you know about uncomfortable sleeps, canned food and days without showering, this is the most glamorous camping spot in Australia.
Hitting the road with very young kids
KELLY and her husband took their two girls, aged one and three, on an Aussie road trip. They were sure they were making a big mistake.
'There's no question my family is now closer'
CRICKET star Matthew Hayden, his wife and three kids have been on an epic adventure through the Northern Territory. This is how they did it — with no gadgets.
What I learnt after living off the grid
NO PHONES, no showers — not even a mirror. Three weeks in these conditions could have been a disaster, but there was something simple I discovered.
State's best fish 'n' chips in Terrigal
TERRIGAL Beach Fish and Chip Co has topped the public vote as the state's best in the Australian Fish and Chip Awards 2017.
Bye Byron, we've found a better spot
CHEAP oysters, empty beaches and great surf. This place has it all — and for that reason it could have places like Byron Bay beat.
10 things to do in outback Queensland
A NEW open-air exhibition has opened at the Age of Dinosaurs Museum in Winton and there is plenty more to do while you're there.
10 tips for a great camping holiday
IT'S the little things that make the difference on a camping trip. Like glow sticks and a door mat.
How to escape the east coast low
WEATHER making you miserable? Us too. Can't afford Thailand? Us neither. Here's the cheap solution to avoiding the miserable weather.
The best camping spots in Victoria
YOU'LL be surprised by how refreshing a nature getaway can be. Here are Victoria's best weekend and week-long getaways.
Something's different about Queensland
ALTHOUGH it's still in the grip of drought, welcome rain has temporarily turned parts of outback Queensland green.
'We survived Wolfe Creek'
ENGLISHMAN Gareth Williams just drove 26,000km around Australia. He doesn't have a licence, but it wasn't technically illegal.
Place better than Great Ocean Road
VICTORIA'S most scenic highway doesn't deserve its title as Australia's best holiday drive. This stretch of road is far superior in every way.


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Barack Obama Ruined My Life.Posted
When I hear people say "Barack Obama is an inspiration to this country, now little black children can believe that they can one day be president", I feel like black people have just been slapped/slapped themselves across the face. Do people believe that just because "My president is black" my generation, and the younger generations had a light bulb moment and said to ourselves "Self, you can be great if this nigga can be president"? Obviously, I missed the memo that stated that before Barack Obama was elected president, black children didn't believe that they were capable of doing great things.
Honestly, Barack Obama ruined my life. I didn't study political science to be the SECOND black president. He stole my dreams. I planned to be the first black president and he went and snatched that dream right from under me. I guess I should go ahead and just focus on a lousy Criminal Justice Degree now.
Just so Americans know, I inspired myself to be something great way before he was smoking weed in Harvard hallways. My grandmother instilled in me from day one that I could be the next yellow power ranger, or Zena (Warrior f**king princess). She told me that I could be the next Assatta Shakur (when I was going through that phase), but she encouraged me to want to be greater. So I chose to be the first president of color.
Thanks Alot Barack, You stole this little black girls dream. No one likes to be second, people only remember the first and the last person to do things.


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Aerial Photographer Uses His Drone To Capture Chicago in a Whole New Light
Razvan Sera is a talented young drone photographer who was born in Romania and currently lives in Chicago. Using his DJI Phantom 4 Drone, Razvan captures unique perspectives of what is now his hometown. Check out his work below and if you like what you see, follow him on Instagram.
Want some exclusive content? Join the UltraLinx mailing list here.


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Hey! I've got a new solo project/album out today! Magpie Pi- Love Songs in A Minor Crash. I know a lot of you are aware of my upcoming novel, however I've also been secretly writing a mock opera/concept album loosely based on it, but with some significant differences. I'm hoping to put together a band later this year and record this album properly, but for now here's the garage band version I recorded over the last five days in my bedroom.
Chapter 13: Madcap Laughs (excerpt from my upcoming novel, The Silver Year)
Good news! I'm on the final leg of my second draft and my book should finally be out in spring to early summer of next year! Until then, I've decided to tease you with another chapter. If you haven't read the book's synopsis you can find it here. Enjoy!
Chapter 13
Madcap Laughs
Each palpitation of bass pushed Walter farther away from himself. But really, who is myself? the quivering voice inside his head asked. I'm thousands of miles away from any type of familiarity. I don't know these people, their language, this country, this city, or even what type or how many drugs I'm on. I don't even know how I got here . . . Am I at a rave?
Electronic dance music chomped with the precision of pneumatic machinery, slicing the air around him into rhythmical bouillon cubes of music and noise. Blacklit glowsticks and the smell of Vicks VapoRub pulverized the dark as glistening skin pumped and thumped around him in an orgy of neon movement. What beautiful oddity allured me to this strange plane of existence and time this time? He soon found his answer in the half-naked body bouncing her buttocks upon his hips.
Wally—Walter's drunk persona—had a tendency to "go exploring" when Walter was blacked out and this was a fatal flaw in a city so bipolar as Amsterdam. In the sobriety of day, a serene Dutch beauty, but in the inebriation of night, she was a shape-shifting she-devil, and not the place you wanted to come to in not knowing where you were, how you got there, or where your friends went.
Hello Planet Amsterdam! You are strange and so am I, so please accept me as one of your own . . . please?! Walter begged inside his head.
Tracers of light from above froze in rejection, while faces within his vicinity began to change and unhinge. He swallowed in fear and suddenly felt himself falling, cannonballing down the mineshaft of his mind. How far above reality was and what lay below he was unsure, however, if he could find a tether, perhaps he could still save himself. He just needed to find out when and where reality escaped him.
I am Walter Huxley—for the most part, I am Walter Huxley, he started with what he could last remember to be true. I am in Amsterdam. I came here on a Contiki trip… And that was all memory would give him for now.
Thunderclouds of panic began to brew. Well, this is a new and frightening high, he thought. I'm not even sure if I'm really alive. This feels like a dream . . . Well, I think you did it Walter. Whatever you took it's killed you, or put you in a coma, or somewhere in between, because whatever this is, it isn't real life . . . But then what is it?
Okay Walter, get a grip! Calm down! We can handle this. WE can handle this . . . We just need some quiet right now. We need to find a restroom. Not only because we suddenly really need to pee, but this orchestration of strobing lights and merciless EDM is fucking our psyche with the grace of a jackhammer. Once we're there, we'll get a good look over in the mirror to reaffirm our—I mean my existence, and that will bring we—I mean, me—back to reality . . . Fuck, I hope.
Fog machines began dousing the dancefloor and a pulsating cloud of color and disorientation began to swirl around Walter as if the dream was fighting back, not wanting him to leave. As the music began a crescendo, he felt as if the ground was lifting, and if he were to leave, he'd fall to his death.
"Doooo you know where the bathroom izzzzz?" he yelled to the girl whose behind he was humping. Inside his head, his voice sounded like it was being run through a pitch-shifter. The music was so deafening it was not only affecting his hearing, but blurring his vision from the reverberations of his skull. Certainty's outlines kept going in and out of focus.
She looked back quickly and shrugged her shoulders, then waited to be humped into again. He turned her back, and shouted: "Is there a proper place to urinate, or shall I just go on this dancefloooooor?!"
Punch drunk and certain he was in a lucid dream, he then unzipped his pants and exposed himself to the girl in a challenge to reality. "Wheeere do I take this guyyyy?" The girl screamed and everyone turned to see the freakshow unraveling in the middle of the dancefloor. But before Walter could start discharging himself, two hefty and very real security guards hauled him out of the cloud and onto the cobbled streets of the Red Light District. "Thank yooooou!" he yelled as they sloppily tossed him to the ground.
The industrial stomp of the nightclub soon receded into sounds of urban nightlife as Walter's mind calmed for the time being. Okay, so I'm still in reality, he thought. I still am in Amsterdam . . . God, I need to take a piss. He then remembered a green, spiral-shaped public urinal he'd used earlier on his way to…
The sex show! the memory climbed out of the abyss. I went to a sex show and . . . and I ate a banana? . . . I ate a banana out of a girl's vagina! . . . I was pulled onstage and ate a banana out of one of the performer's vagina . . . Okay, nope. I excitedly volunteered myself to eat the banana. The memory flow then ceased, and Walter's thoughts went back to his bladder, so he set out in search of another city urinal.
The air was cool as it hit his lungs. The roads had been polished by a recent rainstorm and were gleaming and menacing as the District's red lights echoed off them. This red-tinged reality, however, soon began rattling his bearings again, and again the drugs took advantage of the loosening grip. Chemical demon upon chemical demon loaded itself into his neural network until violently erupting and spilling a world of animated insanity upon his settings. Voices cooed and cackled at him from every corridor, passersby twisted and stretched in hellish facial contortions, while the streets burned in a fire of blood. The monsters of paranoia were encircling Walter and there was nothing to do but surrender or run.
He chose the latter, his feet setting a frenetic pace as they bounced down the alleyways like a pinball off the rubbery walls of his imagination. The faster he moved, the less time his senses had to play tricks on him. Anywhere else this public display of lunacy would have attracted notice, however, everyone was too busy managing their own demons of the Red Light District to worry about his. He was just one among many madcaps out of their minds—or in his case, trapped within it.
Fortuitously, Walter struck upon a urinal while zigzagging through the city with no other strategy than madness. Shelter! he thought as he cuddled against its piss-stained walls. Now surrounded by only green-painted steel and darkness, the malicious animations of his mind had little to work with. The urinal was nothing more than a spiraled shade around a hole in the ground.
He waited until his heartrate and breathing regulated before finally relieving himself. The piss felt as good as an escaping possession, but stirred up a foul odor of stale urine, vomit, and spoiled milk. After finishing, he fished into his pocket for his cellphone. He couldn't make a call, but it did have a front-facing camera and he needed to see his own face just to assure himself he'd found the way out of his own mind, but when he turned it on he was only greeted by a black screen. He pressed the screen and his face against the steel walls, hoping to catch some reflecting rays, but the darkness ate them all up.
Walter then resolved to using his phone's primary camera which had a flash, but his eyes and mind were in a tenuous state, barely beginning to reclaim normal function, and using it came with the risk of being sent back into a lunatic fit. So with eyes closed, he pointed the camera carefully at himself as if it were a loaded gun. The flash then exploded and an imaginary force of voltaic monsters came rushing in under his eyelids. Reactionarily, he threw the phone in fear, and after several seconds of blindness, a sad image waxed into view. There, in a pool of public excrement, lay his phone like his spirit: shattered. He squatted down and picked up the splintered device and its assorted pieces. He pressed the power button with both thumbs as if choking it, but to no avail. Unable to confirm himself, he gradually waned back into the ether, left to swim again with his chemical demons.
Inner catcalls began oozing in from the grates above as Walter cowered over fetally onto the floor. His body writhed as he held his hands to his face and cried. The filth on them, however, soon invaded his eyes, leaving Walter in a deserted and burning blindness. But sight wasn't the last of his senses to abandon him. Slowly, he retreated from any bodily sensation until there was nothing left but thought, then only one thought: This must be what death feels like. It bounded down the halls of his empty consciousness until it was nothing but a whisper, then finally, dense silence.
Undisturbed of the outside world, Walter was left to wander within himself in search of any trace of himself; any proof he had ever existed. An ember of life began to flicker. It was the oldest memory he could revive from the database of his existence. A young woman was humming, the light hush of her breathing and the slow rhythmic pulse of her heart pressed against his ear. There was no sight, only sound. He was in his mother's womb.
For a lot of his life, Walter was made to feel unwanted. He entered into the world unwelcomed, and in some sense that sentiment never left him. But in his lonely foxhole, he found he was not actually alone. There was and always would be one person who saw worth in his existence, so much so she gave her life for it: his mother. Nothing could ever change that; although he never had a mother, he had and always would have his mother's love.
Soon her heartbeat became all Walter could hear, and it beat with the fury of a war drum until his outside tormentors withdrew. Slowly, corporeality returned to his soggy, corduroy bellbottoms, rinsed in a marinade of rainwater, piss, and the other unknown elements Walter shared the floor with. He picked up his cellphone again and spoke into it as if it were still operable.
"Hi Mom," he said out loud. Mom: he wasn't sure if he had ever even said the word. "Even though I've only met you in pictures and Grandma's stories, I want you to know you are still very much a part of my life—a part of me. No matter where I am, your love is and always has been with me. I guess somewhere along the way I forgot that. But however neglected it may be, when I need it the most, your love is always there to shush away my demons, and that is what I'm most grateful for Mommy. When the world tells me I don't belong, you tell it I damn sure do . . . I don't know the last time or if I ever told you this, but I love you Mom, and I'm sorry I don't tell you that more often, but I love you."
Partially absolved, Walter sat up with a more peaceful mind. He was still high as shit, but at least the monster was manageable now.
"I thought you came here for something new and revelating?" Walter's familiar therapist inside his head spoke out loud. "Yet, I don't think the bottom of a urinal is exactly what you had in mind, huh? But I suppose once in a while you get shown the light in the strangest of places if you look at it right, right? But still, you shouldn't be wasting this trip in a goddamn urinal reflecting on your past. You should be outside of it creating a past worth reflecting on; inspiring a story that will hopefully keep you entertained for an eternity, because in the end, the story of your life may be all you have left to read.
"Now, as you know, I'm an advocate of moderate drug use, but you're doing it all wrong. Traveling the world is already a mind-altering experience itself, and additional intoxicants should be taken with extreme care—especially when you're in a place you've never been before. Drugs can enhance the experience of life, but too much and you'll destroy it altogether as you're starting to do with this trip.
"But there's hope for you Walter. I'm glad I found you when I did. You still have a chance to salvage your one night in one of the greatest cities in the world. Don't blow it on account of a bad trip. We all have them. But that's why it's called a trip, you can always stand up…"
Teaser for My Upcoming Novel, The Silver Year: A Great Adventure of the World & Mind
Although I have probably a good three to six months of editing and post-production work left, I am elated to announce my book is finally finished! It feels surreal, for this project has been floating in the background of my life, occupying every spare hour I have, for so long. While it's still not quite ready for public release, below is a link to a teaser for all of you who keep asking to read it. Now if you don't mind, I'm going to enjoy a congratulatory beer with myself :-).
The Silver Year: A Great Adventure of the World & Mind
It had been Walter Huxley's teenage dream to become a rock star and he sacrificed everything to make it come true: a promising future as a physicist, a loving girlfriend, and even two people's lives. But when one is born with the desire to brand his name on the world, he'll destroy his own to do it. However, what happens when you realize your dream was not your own, just an expectation of everyone around you? And even worse, you realize this just as you've made your dream a reality, a reality in which you now hate but can't escape.
On his twenty-fifth birthday, this is where Walter finds himself, living in the shadow of a character of his own creation, his stage persona, Quinn Quark. After attempting to destroy Quark and abandon his teenage dream forever, Walter finds himself lost and in financial ruin, but surprisingly more famous than ever. Just as he's on the verge of a mental breakdown—all in view of the public eye, he becomes the unexpected recipient of a birthday gift from a long-forgotten friend, an all-expenses-paid trip to Europe. At first reluctant, he only goes as a means to escape his newfound fame in America, but in the process of traveling through eight countries, Walter meets a number of characters—in and outside his head—whom will alter his life forever.
What Science Would Be Without Religion
By Bradley Stockwell
A few years ago if you were to have asked me whether or not religious institutions have impeded the progress of science, I would have given a vehement 'hell yes'. I would've given the accounts of Giordano Bruno, Tycho Brahe, Kepler, Galileo, Copernicus, and the many others who risked or gave their lives in the name of science as examples. However over the years I've learned that making such a blanket statement is rather prejudiced. This is not to say there hasn't been significant efforts by religious institutions to repress science, but also without them, most of the principles and methodologies of modern science and medicine would've never been established.
The Roman Catholic Church was vital in the development of systematic nursing and hospitals, and even still today the Church remains the single greatest private provider of medical care and research facilities in the world. The Church also founded Europe's first universities and Medieval Catholic mathematicians and philosophers such as John Buridan, Nicole Oresme and Roger Bacon are considered the fathers of modern science. Furthermore, after the Fall of Rome, monasteries and convents became strongholds of academia, preserving the works of Euclid, Ptolemy, Plato, Aristotle, Galen, Simplicius and many more. Clergymen were the leading scholars of the day, studying nature, mathematics and the motion of stars. And while some may blame Christianity for the Fall of Rome and decline of intellectual culture during the Middle Ages, this claim is unjustified and is a much more complex issue probably better reserved for a history class. Additionally, many forget that while the western half of the Roman Empire collapsed, the much more Christianized eastern half remained relatively strong and continued into the 15th century as the Byzantine Empire.
Not to focus solely on Christianity, Islam also had a part in the preservation and flourishing of science. An Arab Muslim named Ibn al-Haytham, considered to be one the first theoretical physicists, made significant contributions in the fields of optics, astronomy and mathematics, and was an early advocate that a hypothesis must be proved by experiments based on confirmable procedures or mathematical evidence—essentially the scientific method. Caliphs during the Islamic Golden Age established research institutes, sent emissaries around the world in search of books, then funded projects to translate, study and preserved them. Much of the Ancient Greek science we have today would have been lost and the European Renaissance hundreds of years after would not have been possible without their efforts. Also, at one time arguably, Arabic was the language of science. The "al's" in algebra, algorithm, alchemy and alcohol are just some of the remnants.
The Islamic world also imported ideas from Hindus, which includes the Arabic numerals we still use today and the concept of zero. Also, as mentioned in a previous post, The Spirituality of Science, I see many parallels between science and Dharmic beliefs, such as reincarnation and entropy: the universe is cyclical; life and death are just different stopping points on a grand recycling process; matter, like the body, is created and recycled, while energy, like the soul, is immortal and transferred. The correlation I find most fascinating though is the Hindu concept of Brahman to the laws of thermodynamics. According to belief, Brahman is the source of all things in the universe including reality and existence; everything comes from Brahman and everything returns to Brahman; Brahman is uncreated, external, infinite and all-embracing. You could substitute the word energy for Brahman and get a simple understanding of the applications of the first and second laws of thermodynamics. It's funny how the world's oldest religion, Hinduism, seemed to grasp these concepts thousands of years before science did.
In conclusion, although it's still hard for me to look past some of the civil atrocities wrought by religious institutions—in particular when they've been intimately tied to a governing body, I think when you tally up the scores, science has benefited greatly from religion and any impediments are heavily outweighed. In a day when it seems popular to present everything in a dichotomous fashion—either you're with or against us, I think it's important to remember that for the most part, we all have what's best in mind for humanity, and it's when we work together that the best results are produced. Until next time, stay curious my friends.
How Old Are You?: How The Atomic Age Solved One of Biology's Greatest Mysteries
By Bradley Stockwell
My two favorite arenas of academia are science and history, and the more I study the two, the more I see how interwoven they really are. There's no greater example of this than something called the "bomb pulse". Whether you know it or not, lurking inside of you is a piece of Cold War history—even if you weren't alive at the time—and it is this little memento that finally solved one of biology's most elusive secrets: How old are you? And I don't mean how many times has the cellular clump of mass known as you swung around the sun, but how old are the individual cells that make up that mass? Your skin cells, heart cells, neurons—your body is constantly renewing itself with new cells and it is only as of 2002 that we began to have a definitive answer for how old each one was. With this post, my intentions are twofold. One: I want to tell you about one of the greatest scientific discoveries of the 21st century, and two: I'm hoping that by wrapping them in this titillating story, I can also slip in a few basic principles of nuclear chemistry. With that said, let's begin!
Between 1945 and 1963, over four hundred nuclear bombs were detonated, unleashing an untold number of extra neutrons into the atmosphere. Some of these neutrons found their way into nitrogen atoms, causing them to eject a proton. If you're familiar with some basic chemistry, when a seven-proton nitrogen atom loses a proton, it becomes a six-proton carbon atom. However, because these carbon atoms still have two extra neutrons from when they were nitrogen, they become something called an isotope, a variant of an element which differs in neutrons, but has the same amount of protons. In this case, these slightly more massive and radioactive isotopes become an isotope of carbon called carbon-14.
When I say radioactive, all I mean is that the atom's nucleus is unstable; that it is emitting energy in the form of ejected subatomic particles or energetic light waves to stabilize itself until it becomes a stable isotope, or a completely new element altogether. This radioactive decay comes in three main forms: alpha, beta and gamma. Alpha decay—which only happens with heavy elements like uranium—is the ejection of something physicists call an alpha particle, but chemists just call it a helium atom, a bundle of two protons and two neutrons. In fact, almost all the helium here on Earth came from this type of decay. Think about that the next time your sucking down a helium balloon; you're inhaling the atomic leftovers of uranium, thorium and other heavy, radioactive elements. Beta minus decay is the ejection of an electron and beta plus decay is the ejection of the electron's antiparticle, the positron. Gamma decay is the emission of an extremely energetic light wave called a gamma ray and it is often emitted in conjunction with alpha and beta decay.
The time it can take for a radioactive element to reach a stable form can be anywhere from instantaneous to far longer than the age of the universe. Because individual atoms decay unpredictably, the way in which we measure this loss is through probability, or something called a half-life. This is the time it takes for half a quantity of radioactive material to decay into a more stable form. This is not to say if you have four radioactive atoms, in x amount of time you'll have two necessarily, but more that each individual radioactive atom has a fifty percent chance that it will decay to a more stable form in x amount of time. For example, carbon-14, the star of our story, has a half-life of 5,730 years. This means if you had a pound of it, after 5,730 years you'd have a half pound of carbon-14 and half a pound of nitrogen-14, carbon-14's more stable form. Then after another 5,730 years you'd have a quarter pound of carbon-14 and three-quarters pound of nitrogen-14, and so forth. This is how carbon dating works; by measuring the relative portions of carbon-12 and carbon-14 in a sample of organic matter, archeologists are able to determine its age.
The period between 1945 and 1963 in which all this atomic testing was happening is now called the "bomb pulse" by the scientific community. It was called this because the amount of carbon-14 in the atmosphere was doubled during this period from all those free neutrons crashing into nitrogen. In 1963, when the Soviet Union, the U.K. and the U.S. agreed to the Limited Test Ban Treaty which prohibited all above-ground detonations, the amount of carbon-14 began to decrease by half every eleven years and will eventually be depleted somewhere around 2030 to 2050. This isn't because the carbon-14 is decaying into nitrogen-14 (remember the half-life of carbon-14 is 5,730 years), but because it is being absorbed by the life inhabiting our planet, which includes us. Although carbon-14 is an altered carbon atom—a carbon isotope, it still behaves like a carbon atom because it is the number of protons in an atom that determines its chemical behavior, while the number of neutrons determines its mass; and like a regular carbon atom, these carbon-14 atoms have been binding to oxygen, forming CO2, which is sucked up by plants during photosynthesis and then fed to the rest of us through the food chain. Like the plants, our bodies too can't tell the difference between carbon and carbon-14, so for the last seventy-plus years all this extra carbon-14 has been used by every living creature to build new cells, proteins and DNA.
While our bodies can't tell the difference between carbon and carbon-14 (because they have the same amount of protons), scientists can because of their slight difference in mass (remember carbon-14 has two extra neutrons). The difference in mass is measureable through a technique called mass spectrometry, which sorts atoms by weight. Without getting too technical, an instrument called a mass spectrometer strips atoms of some of their electrons and launches them into a magnetic field, which alters the atoms' course, and because of inertia, heavier atoms take a wider path than lighter ones. By measuring how many atoms travel along certain paths, scientists can determine how much of a specific atom—in this case a carbon-14 atom—is in a sample.
So what does this have to do with determining a cell's age? Well for a long time nothing. But somewhere around 2002, Krista Spalding, a postdoc at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, wanted to challenge the longtime doctrine that said the human brain couldn't create any new neurons after the age of four. There had been growing evidence that the adult hippocampus—a seahorse-shaped region deep in the brain that is important for memory and learning—could regenerate neurons, but no one knew for sure. Spalding and her postdoc advisor, Jonas Frisén, had a hunch that the "bomb pulse" period could somehow offer a solution and it did, culminating in a paper by Spalding, Frisén and their team published in June 2013, which conclusively found that the hippocampus did produce approximately 700 to 1,400 new neurons per day, and these neurons last twenty to thirty years. How you ask? Well there's an episode of Radiolab (a wonderful science podcast I recommend you all listen to) that has a much more colorful version of Spalding and Frisén's journey here, but because I know I'm probably already pushing your attention spans, I'll just give a brief overview. You see, atmospheric scientists have been measuring the amount of carbon-14 and other elements in the atmosphere every two weeks since the late 1950s, giving us an extremely accurate timetable of how much carbon-14 is and was in the atmosphere at any given time after. By correlating this data to the amount of carbon-14 found in a cell's DNA (while other molecules are regularly refreshed throughout a cell's life, DNA remains constant), researchers can determine not just the age of a hippocampal neuron, but any cell. So by accident, the nuclear age finally shed light on when tissues form, how long they last and how quickly they're replaced.
You—and every other living organism—are continually creating new cells. Cells that make up your skin, hair and the lining of your gut are constantly being replaced, while others, like cells that make up the lens of your eye, the muscles of your heart and the neurons of the cerebral cortex, have been with you since birth and will stay with you until you die.
So why is this so important? Well firstly, it gives us a key insight into the mechanisms behind many neurodegenerative diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's disease), Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, Huntington's and many more. Really we've only just begun to dig into this Pandora's box so to speak, and unfortunately time is limited (well unless we start blowing up a bunch of atomic weapons again, but let's hope humanity has moved past this) because, as I said, this measureable spike of carbon-14 in our atmosphere from the "bomb pulse" will eventually be depleted somewhere between 2030 and 2050.
Despite what the "bomb pulse" is and will offer to scientific research, isn't it cool just knowing which cells have been at the party of you the longest? Or that like the rings of a tree, or the sedimentary layers of rock, our bodies too tell the story of our times? With that, until next time, stay curious my friends.
How Pencil Lead and Sticky Tape Won a Nobel Prize
By Bradley Stockwell
First off, I want to apologize to all of my six followers to this blog. I know I left you in anxious anticipation over my follow-up post to Climate Change Part I on future green technologies. However, after three months of procrastination, I confess I still haven't written it. I'm sorry, but I'm easily distracted and while attempting to assemble it I came across a story too good not to tell about a fascinating material called graphene. Graphene is the thinnest, strongest and stiffest material on Earth; it conducts electricity and heat better than any other known material; it is transparent and two-dimensional and is the basis for all future technologies and A.I. At the moment, its potential of applications looks limitless. Oh did I mention it was discovered with nothing more than pencil lead and tape? They even gave the guys who discovered it the 2010 Nobel Prize in Physics. Shit, if I knew it was that easy I could've scratched Nobel prize in physics off the bucket list a long time ago.
So what is graphene exactly then? In short, it's a sheet of pencil lead (graphite) an atom thick. But to understand how we arrived at the discovery of graphene, we need to tell another story, the story of carbon. Graphene is an allotrope of carbon which simply means it's one possible way to structure carbon atoms. The carbon atom has six protons and typically six neutrons in its nucleus. Sometimes the nucleus has eight neutrons, in which case the carbon atom is known as carbon-14. Carbon-14 is unstable, meaning it radioactively decays, but the decay is consistent over long periods of time. Because this form of carbon is found in many materials, measuring its presence gives us a way to age materials—or what is known as carbon dating. Carbon-14 however is not an allotrope of carbon, it is what is known as an isotope, something covered in detail in a previous post, Flight of the Timeless Photon.
Allotrope formation is dependent on the electrons of a carbon atom and the way in which they bond to other carbon electrons. Carbon has six electrons, two of which are buried in its innermost shell near the nucleus, and four in its outermost shell which are called valence electrons. It is these four outermost electrons—and a ton of heat and pressure—that make the difference between a lump of coal and a diamond, another allotrope of carbon. In diamond, a carbon atom's four valence electrons are bonded with four other carbon valence electrons. This produces an extremely stiff crystalline structure. In fact, a typical diamond is made up of about a million billion billion atoms (1 with 24 zeros after it) all perfectly arranged into a single pyramidal structure, which is key to its extraordinary strength. But diamond is not the strongest and most stable allotrope of carbon. Although DeBeers may want you to think otherwise, a diamond is not forever; every diamond in existence is actually slowly turning into graphite. The process however takes billions of years so no need to worry about your wedding ring just yet.
Graphite is not a crystalline structure like diamond, but planes of carbon atoms connected in a hexagonal pattern, with each plane having an extremely strong and stable structure—stronger and more stable than diamond. Some of you may be asking, is this not the same graphite we write with and grind up into fine powder lubricants? Yes indeed it is, and the conundrum of descriptives can be blamed on electrons. In diamond, a carbon atom shares its four valence electrons with four other carbon atoms, whereas in graphite it shares its electrons with only three (see graphic below). This results in graphite having no electrons left over to form strong bonds between layers, leaving it up to something called van der Waals forces, a weak set of forces generated by fluctuations in a molecular electric field. Basically it's the universal glue of matter and is something all molecules naturally possess. Because these forces are so weak is why you're able to write with graphite—a.k.a. pencil lead. As you press your pencil to paper, you're breaking the van der Waals forces, allowing layers of graphite to slide across one another and deposit themselves on a page. If it weren't for the weak van der Waals bonds, pencil lead would be stronger than diamond and this is behind the advent of carbon fiber. Carbon fiber is spun graphite, lathered in an epoxy glue to overcome the weak van der Waals forces. Restriction of van der Waals forces is also behind the phenomenality of graphene.
Since graphene is a single layer of graphite one atom thick, there is no need to worry about weak van der Waals forces. By default this makes graphene the strongest and thinnest material known to man. Also, because its carbon atoms are not structured in a crystalline lattice like diamond, which leaves no free electrons, it also conducts electricity and heat better than any known material. This means because of its transparency and thinness, we could literally add touch sensitivity to any inanimate object and possibly entire buildings. It also allows for something called Klein tunneling, which is an exotic quantum effect in which electrons can tunnel through something as if it's not there. Basically it means it has the potential to be an electronic dynamo and may someday replace silicon chips and pave the way for quantum computing. Graphene was purely hypothetical until 2004 when Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov discovered it. As stated in the title of this post, they discovered it with nothing more than a lump of graphite and sticky tape. They placed the tape on the graphite and peeled off a layer. They then took another piece of tape and stuck it to the piece of tape with the graphite layer and halved the layer. They continued to do this until they were left with a layer of graphite one atom thick. I'm not exaggerating the simplicity of the procedure in any way. Watch the video below and you can replicate the experiment yourself, the only catch is you need an electron microscope to confirm you indeed created graphene. Until next time my friends, stay curious.
Climate Change Part I: Where It Went Wrong & Why It's Stupid to Still Deny It
By Bradley Stockwell
1878 World's Fair: Augustin Mouchot's solar-powered motor is a gold medal winner and initially receives generous government funding for development. However the funding is soon cut due to a dramatic decrease in the cost of coal production.
1900 World's Fair: Commissioned by the French government, the Otto company displays the recently invented diesel engine running on peanut oil without any modification to the original design. The inventor of the engine, Rudolf Diesel, learns of this and becomes a leading proponent for the development of biodiesel fuels to spur agricultural development. However after his death in 1913 and with the emerging petroleum market on the rise, the motor is redesigned to run solely on petroleum diesel fuel.
The Egyptian desert 1913: Frank Shuman, the inventor of safety glass, presents a solar power plant which promises to make solar energy—a limitless, renewable energy source—more cost-efficient than coal. He too receives generous accolades and funding from the German and British governments, but ultimately with the outbreak of World War I shortly thereafter, funding is cut and put into the exploding petroleum market, leaving Shuman's solar collectors to be recycled into weapons.
Detroit, Michigan 1908: Henry Ford's first Model T rolls off the assembly line and it runs on gasoline and/or corn ethanol. Ford envisions one day however that all vehicles will run solely on agricultural fuel sources. One of particular interest to him is hemp. In 1941 he even constructs a lightweight car that runs on hemp biofuel and is constructed with plastic panels made partially of hemp. Nevertheless the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937—backed by the petrochemical company DuPont—would eventually kill the domestic hemp industry and with the onset of World War II, gasoline engine technology would only see further dominance.
Now that we're facing down the barrel of a global climate crisis, it's easy to look back and see where it might have been averted. It's not like we weren't warned; as far back as 1896 (read here) the scientific community has cautioned us about the consequences of a fossil-fueled civilization. But humanity's myopic view of the future has not only undercut our ingenuity, but it now endangers the survival of our species—and many others I may add. However there's hope and I'd like to pay tribute to this hope by highlighting today and tomorrow's most innovative and coolest technologies on the frontline in the fight against climate change. But first…
Believe it or not, our planet breathes. In the spring, the forests of the Northern Hemisphere inhale carbon dioxide to grow and the amount of CO2 in the air decreases while the amount of oxygen (O2) increases. Then in the fall, when leaves fall and decay, that CO2 is released back into the atmosphere. This same respiratory cycle happens in the Southern Hemisphere, but there is far more ocean than forest in the South. This has been happening for tens of millions of years, but wasn't noticed until 1958 when the oceanographer Charles David Keeling devised a way to accurately measure the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere. However this discovery also unearthed quite a big elephant in the room for humanity: climate change.
You see, CO2 in our atmosphere acts as an insulator for heat sent here from the sun. Without it, our planet would be a frozen wasteland and with too much of it, it'd be hell on earth and the difference between the two is not much—six molecules of CO2 per ten thousand to be exact. Since the formation of the earth, volcanoes have been spewing CO2 into the air. Then water and life came along and the CO2 was absorbed into the oceans and harvested into more organic matter. Over the course of millions of years, this bled our atmosphere of CO2 (which is a good thing when you're cultivating life) until CO2 comprised just three-hundredths of a percent of our atmosphere—three molecules per ten thousand. And for at least the last 800,000 years this percentage has stayed relatively the same until the rise of the Industrial Revolution. Hmm… anybody see a strange correlation? We know this because we've drilled into glaciers and extracted and measured trapped air from that long ago. Since about the turn of the century, CO2 levels have risen a staggering 40%. And as of January 2015, we've officially added another molecule of CO2 per ten thousand—four per ten thousand in total—in the span of about 100 years. Earth hasn't seen CO2 levels this high in over three million years, when horses and camels roamed the high arctic and sea levels were at least 30 feet higher; a level that would drown many major cities today.
While one more molecule per ten thousand may not sound like much, remember the difference between frozen wasteland and hell on earth is only six molecules per ten thousand and life providing oasis sits delicately in the middle at three. And it's not like the earth is just naturally dumping all this additional CO2 into the air. We know it's man-made because CO2 created from the burning of fossil fuels is slightly lighter than that of say volcanic CO2.
The strongest force driving climate change is us. It's undeniable and those who deny it in my opinion are just too scared to admit it. And it is scary. It's not like we can keep going along like this and still have another 200 years before we add two more CO2 molecules per ten thousand to the atmosphere. We've already set off a chain reaction of sorts. Because temperatures are rising, ground that's been frozen for a millennia is now beginning to thaw. That ground is densely packed with organic matter and the thawing of that organic matter is releasing more CO2 into the air, causing the temperature to rise even higher and thaw ground even quicker. This positive feedback loop is also happening with the melting of sea ice. As ocean temperatures rise, more sea ice melts and more heat is absorbed into the oceans instead of being reflected back into space, which causes ocean temperatures to rise faster which in turn melts the ice faster. Not only are we contributing heavily to climate change, but now we've triggered Mother Earth to follow suit.
But as I stated previously there is hope. We haven't reached the "point of no return"—the point at which no amount of effort will save us from catastrophic global warming—yet. That point is at 4.5 molecules per ten thousand, so we are damn close. If we continue at our current rate, which is adding two more CO2 molecules per million per year, we'll reach the "point of no return" somewhere around 2042. But I have faith in humans; faith that we're too smart and too adaptive to let that happen. After all, we come from a long pedigree of very successful survivors, so let's put it to use. If not for the sake of saving the world, at least for the sake of technological progression. We know fossil fuels won't last forever so why not start solving that problem now? Also wouldn't it be cool if we had concrete that healed itself and roads that talked to us while collecting solar energy? This is just a preview of some of the green technologies and innovations on the horizon that I'll cover in part two of this series. Until then, stay curious my friends.