If there’s one thing that is true of the antivaccine movement, it’s that its members are rarely willing to admit that they are, in fact, antivaccine. Sure, there are uncommon exceptions who say it loud that they are antivaccine and proud and through their refreshing honesty and lack of self-delusion cause no end of problems for the more “reasonable” and “moderate” antivaccine activists determined to convince the world that they are “not antivaccine” but “pro-safe vaccine,” “pro-vaccine safety,” or “vaccine safety activists.” The less deluded antivaccine activists are, after all, masters of cognitive dissonance. They know society views being antivaccine as bad and, because they don’t view themselves as bad people, convince themselves that they aren’t antivaccine. Add to that the need to appear not to be kooks, and they try very, very hard indeed to deny they are antivaccine.
But antivaccine is as antivaccine does, and antivaccine views are not unlike pornography: sometimes hard to define, but I know it when I see it. Boy, did I see it again recently. In the wake of the whole “CDC whistleblower” manufactroversy, the “scandal” that isn’t, antivaccinationists seem to be going quite bonkers in the belief that they have finally found evidence to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt their central organizing conspiracy theory, namely that the CDC has been “covering up” incontrovertible evidence that vaccines cause autism.
So pity the poor CDC when it starts up a rather conventional social medial campaign, which it calls #TeamVax:
This rather basic social media campaign did serve a nice ancillary purpose other than promoting vaccination. It prodded the antivaccine movement to do what it does so well: Dive straight into pseudoscience crazy town. For instance, Levi Quackenboss, one of the dumber antivaccinationists whose “work” I’ve come across, posted one of the silliest antivaccine memes I’ve ever seen, basically sarcastically thanking the CDC for #TeamVax:
CDC have you done lost your mind? What were the big brains in Atlanta thinking when they decided that the largest public health organization in the nation needed to stoop to meme-speak?
Let’s take a look at the meme that my tax dollars paid for. You’ve got your racially ambiguous doting mother with her tiny baby boy who’s clearly already had one round of vaccines because his bulging forehead circumference is in the 99th percentile. It’s nice to see vaccine-injured babies represented.
Personally, I don’t see any “meme-speak” there. I mean, seriously. Take a look at the photo. Yes, it’s a mother and a baby, with the slogan, “I want my baby to be safe and healthy, that’s why,” a perfectly fine slogan, concluding with “I’m #TeamVax.” This is about as innocuous an ad campaign as I can imagine. In fact, from my perspective as a supporter of vaccine science, the only complaint I can come up with about it is that maybe it’s a little too innocuous. As for complaining about the whole “#TeamVax” thing, my first reaction was: WTF? Antivaccinationists have been Tweeting various increasingly ridiculous hashtags for a year now, in particular the #CDCwhistleblower hashtag. Particularly silly was the “#GarbageCan” hashtag “inspired” by the “CDC whistleblower” William W. Thompson’s alleged statement quoted by Rep. Bill Posey (R-Florida) that CDC investigators had disposed of a whole lot of original research paperwork and data in a big garbage can. The CDC is only doing what any organization in 2015 should be doing to try to spread its message: leveraging social media. One can argue over how well or poorly it’s doing it, but it would be irresponsible of the CDC not to do it, particularly during August, which is National Immunization Awareness Month.
Particularly hilarious is Quackenboss’s assertion:
Let me break it down for you. You are the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As far as 95% of America knows, you are infallible. Why do you need an ad campaign if you’re infallible? You don’t. When was the last time you saw a Rolls Royce commercial? Never. They don’t advertise. They don’t have to. They’re infallible.
Actually, Rolls Royce does advertise. Quackenbush just doesn’t see the ads. Heck, Rolls Royce even has an active Twitter account followed by nearly 100,000 users. It even runs commercials:
And:
Sorry, Quackenbush, just because you’re not aware of Rolls Royce ads doesn’t mean Rolls Royce doesn’t run them. It might not run them on television (and, in fact, the CDC doesn’t often run ads on TV), but it does run print ads and use Twitter. It’s advertised for a long time, decades, even. Indeed, one of its classic ads is considered iconic:
Levi Quackenbush really should Google more. Rolls Royce has been advertising its cars for a long time.
Seriously, dude, before making a claim like that you really should do a couple of minutes’ worth of Googling. So, yes. The CDC does need to advertise. It does need to hit back hard against the antivaccine movement because the antivaccine movement has resulted in pockets of decreased vaccine uptake that have resulted in outbreaks of measles and pertussis. Why? Well, because of people like Quackenbush who gloat because their fear mongering has succeeded in causing vaccine uptake to drop:
But guess what you’ve ended up doing on your little joyride with my tax dollars? You’ve legitimized your opposition, so thank you for that. One doesn’t advertise unless their competitor is a real contender for their job. Do you see NASA responding to flat-Earthers? Do you see #TeamSphere memes on any of their Facebook pages? No, you don’t. Flat-Earthers don’t have NASA quaking in their boots.
We don’t see NASA responding to flat earthers because flat earthers don’t endanger public health. Antivaccine activists do. Also, real flat earthers are so rare as to be not worth dealing with. Antivaccine activists, unfortunately, are not. Yes, it’s a risk responding to them, but it’s a risk that has to be taken because a lack of response is no longer acceptable.
Thanks to Quackenbush, though, for showing what I mean about the antivaccine movement.
There’s another antivaccine loon who’s equally unhappy about the new CDC campaign. We’ve met her before. It’s Megan Heimer over at Living Whole. On one occasion, she inappropriately likened criticism of pseudoscience and quackery to “hate speech“; on another occasion, she argued against neonatal vitamin K injections because they were “synthetic.” Basically, there appears to be no woo, antivaccine or otherwise, that she will not embrace. Not surprisingly, she’s found another way to attack the CDC ad campaign. Her premise? That it’s “pitting parent against parent.” Granted, Quackenbush did make a similarly nonsensical argument, but Heimer can’t resist taking it right off the cliff into the canyon of stupid.
First, she responds to a CDC questionnaire that tells you what vaccines are recommended for people with chronic diseases:
First, vaccines don’t prevent chronic disease. Nobody with Crohn’s Disease wakes up in the morning and says, “Oh, I have Crohn’s, I should probably get an MMR vaccine.” Secondly, vaccines cause chronic disease. It’s written all over the package inserts, PubMed database, and thousands of peer-reviewed studies. (Don’t bother telling the CDC, they already know.) Third, if you have a chronic disease, you’re more likely to suffer from a vaccine adverse reaction. (Logic would follow that a strong immune system is required to deal with the nasty in the shot and mount a “proper” response.)
The stupid, it burns.
The CDC isn’t claiming that vaccines will prevent chronic disease. It’s saying that patients with certain chronic diseases are more susceptible to complications from common vaccine-preventable diseases, which is why they should be vaccinated against those diseases. Second, there is no good evidence that vaccines cause chronic disease. I’ve discussed this more times than I care to remember, including findings that vaccines might actually be protective against asthma. Certainly, even if they aren’t, it’s a good thing to prevent asthmatics from getting a respiratory infection. They’re prone to complications from viral infections. None of that stops Heimer from parroting familiar antivaccine talking points about “injecting neurotoxins, hazardous wastes, aborted baby ingredients, and carcinogens into your tiny children” and labeling anyone who disagrees with her as #TeamStupid. (The projection is truly awesome, is it not?)
We knew that Heimer was antivaccine; so deconstructing her antivaccine tropes is like shooting fish in the proverbial barrel. Instead, let’s look at this:
I have to admit, I was left wondering which team the parents of fully vaccinated, vaccine-injured children were on or the parents who vaccinated but believe in choice?
Yes, this is another sad attempt by the CDC to pit parent against parent. Nothing else works. We’re educated and we see through their lacking data, intentional cover-ups, and misleading propaganda, including their latest ploy at “scaring” parents into vaccinating. But it’s like we’re immune to bull$h*t. (Excuse my language but this is an occasion that warrants such a word and I think Jesus would be okay with it.) Education has that effect on people. So they’ve had to stoop to the level of creating animosity between mothers and they’re sending a misleading message that you don’t care about your child’s health if you don’t vaccinate. Nice. How sixth-grade of them.
This is what we in the biz call reading a meaning into an advertisement that isn’t there. Do you see any message of divisiveness in the CDC message? I sure don’t. It’s basically a positive message encouraging parents to vaccinate. There’s no snarkiness, as I use from time to time when dealing with antivaccine loons like Heimer. There’s no demonization of the vaccine hesitant or antivaccine activists. There’s just a simple message: Vaccinate your children. Join #TeamVax. The only way you can object to that message and view it as somehow “pitting parent against parent” is if you are antivaccine and view yourself on #TeamAntivax. Otherwise, why would you object, unless you view #TeamVax as the enemy and any perceived attempt to recruit to it as an attempt by the enemy to swell its numbers.
That’s because Megan Heimer is antivaccine. To the core.
from ScienceBlogs http://ift.tt/1MWYAiw
If there’s one thing that is true of the antivaccine movement, it’s that its members are rarely willing to admit that they are, in fact, antivaccine. Sure, there are uncommon exceptions who say it loud that they are antivaccine and proud and through their refreshing honesty and lack of self-delusion cause no end of problems for the more “reasonable” and “moderate” antivaccine activists determined to convince the world that they are “not antivaccine” but “pro-safe vaccine,” “pro-vaccine safety,” or “vaccine safety activists.” The less deluded antivaccine activists are, after all, masters of cognitive dissonance. They know society views being antivaccine as bad and, because they don’t view themselves as bad people, convince themselves that they aren’t antivaccine. Add to that the need to appear not to be kooks, and they try very, very hard indeed to deny they are antivaccine.
But antivaccine is as antivaccine does, and antivaccine views are not unlike pornography: sometimes hard to define, but I know it when I see it. Boy, did I see it again recently. In the wake of the whole “CDC whistleblower” manufactroversy, the “scandal” that isn’t, antivaccinationists seem to be going quite bonkers in the belief that they have finally found evidence to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt their central organizing conspiracy theory, namely that the CDC has been “covering up” incontrovertible evidence that vaccines cause autism.
So pity the poor CDC when it starts up a rather conventional social medial campaign, which it calls #TeamVax:
This rather basic social media campaign did serve a nice ancillary purpose other than promoting vaccination. It prodded the antivaccine movement to do what it does so well: Dive straight into pseudoscience crazy town. For instance, Levi Quackenboss, one of the dumber antivaccinationists whose “work” I’ve come across, posted one of the silliest antivaccine memes I’ve ever seen, basically sarcastically thanking the CDC for #TeamVax:
CDC have you done lost your mind? What were the big brains in Atlanta thinking when they decided that the largest public health organization in the nation needed to stoop to meme-speak?
Let’s take a look at the meme that my tax dollars paid for. You’ve got your racially ambiguous doting mother with her tiny baby boy who’s clearly already had one round of vaccines because his bulging forehead circumference is in the 99th percentile. It’s nice to see vaccine-injured babies represented.
Personally, I don’t see any “meme-speak” there. I mean, seriously. Take a look at the photo. Yes, it’s a mother and a baby, with the slogan, “I want my baby to be safe and healthy, that’s why,” a perfectly fine slogan, concluding with “I’m #TeamVax.” This is about as innocuous an ad campaign as I can imagine. In fact, from my perspective as a supporter of vaccine science, the only complaint I can come up with about it is that maybe it’s a little too innocuous. As for complaining about the whole “#TeamVax” thing, my first reaction was: WTF? Antivaccinationists have been Tweeting various increasingly ridiculous hashtags for a year now, in particular the #CDCwhistleblower hashtag. Particularly silly was the “#GarbageCan” hashtag “inspired” by the “CDC whistleblower” William W. Thompson’s alleged statement quoted by Rep. Bill Posey (R-Florida) that CDC investigators had disposed of a whole lot of original research paperwork and data in a big garbage can. The CDC is only doing what any organization in 2015 should be doing to try to spread its message: leveraging social media. One can argue over how well or poorly it’s doing it, but it would be irresponsible of the CDC not to do it, particularly during August, which is National Immunization Awareness Month.
Particularly hilarious is Quackenboss’s assertion:
Let me break it down for you. You are the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As far as 95% of America knows, you are infallible. Why do you need an ad campaign if you’re infallible? You don’t. When was the last time you saw a Rolls Royce commercial? Never. They don’t advertise. They don’t have to. They’re infallible.
Actually, Rolls Royce does advertise. Quackenbush just doesn’t see the ads. Heck, Rolls Royce even has an active Twitter account followed by nearly 100,000 users. It even runs commercials:
And:
Sorry, Quackenbush, just because you’re not aware of Rolls Royce ads doesn’t mean Rolls Royce doesn’t run them. It might not run them on television (and, in fact, the CDC doesn’t often run ads on TV), but it does run print ads and use Twitter. It’s advertised for a long time, decades, even. Indeed, one of its classic ads is considered iconic:
Levi Quackenbush really should Google more. Rolls Royce has been advertising its cars for a long time.
Seriously, dude, before making a claim like that you really should do a couple of minutes’ worth of Googling. So, yes. The CDC does need to advertise. It does need to hit back hard against the antivaccine movement because the antivaccine movement has resulted in pockets of decreased vaccine uptake that have resulted in outbreaks of measles and pertussis. Why? Well, because of people like Quackenbush who gloat because their fear mongering has succeeded in causing vaccine uptake to drop:
But guess what you’ve ended up doing on your little joyride with my tax dollars? You’ve legitimized your opposition, so thank you for that. One doesn’t advertise unless their competitor is a real contender for their job. Do you see NASA responding to flat-Earthers? Do you see #TeamSphere memes on any of their Facebook pages? No, you don’t. Flat-Earthers don’t have NASA quaking in their boots.
We don’t see NASA responding to flat earthers because flat earthers don’t endanger public health. Antivaccine activists do. Also, real flat earthers are so rare as to be not worth dealing with. Antivaccine activists, unfortunately, are not. Yes, it’s a risk responding to them, but it’s a risk that has to be taken because a lack of response is no longer acceptable.
Thanks to Quackenbush, though, for showing what I mean about the antivaccine movement.
There’s another antivaccine loon who’s equally unhappy about the new CDC campaign. We’ve met her before. It’s Megan Heimer over at Living Whole. On one occasion, she inappropriately likened criticism of pseudoscience and quackery to “hate speech“; on another occasion, she argued against neonatal vitamin K injections because they were “synthetic.” Basically, there appears to be no woo, antivaccine or otherwise, that she will not embrace. Not surprisingly, she’s found another way to attack the CDC ad campaign. Her premise? That it’s “pitting parent against parent.” Granted, Quackenbush did make a similarly nonsensical argument, but Heimer can’t resist taking it right off the cliff into the canyon of stupid.
First, she responds to a CDC questionnaire that tells you what vaccines are recommended for people with chronic diseases:
First, vaccines don’t prevent chronic disease. Nobody with Crohn’s Disease wakes up in the morning and says, “Oh, I have Crohn’s, I should probably get an MMR vaccine.” Secondly, vaccines cause chronic disease. It’s written all over the package inserts, PubMed database, and thousands of peer-reviewed studies. (Don’t bother telling the CDC, they already know.) Third, if you have a chronic disease, you’re more likely to suffer from a vaccine adverse reaction. (Logic would follow that a strong immune system is required to deal with the nasty in the shot and mount a “proper” response.)
The stupid, it burns.
The CDC isn’t claiming that vaccines will prevent chronic disease. It’s saying that patients with certain chronic diseases are more susceptible to complications from common vaccine-preventable diseases, which is why they should be vaccinated against those diseases. Second, there is no good evidence that vaccines cause chronic disease. I’ve discussed this more times than I care to remember, including findings that vaccines might actually be protective against asthma. Certainly, even if they aren’t, it’s a good thing to prevent asthmatics from getting a respiratory infection. They’re prone to complications from viral infections. None of that stops Heimer from parroting familiar antivaccine talking points about “injecting neurotoxins, hazardous wastes, aborted baby ingredients, and carcinogens into your tiny children” and labeling anyone who disagrees with her as #TeamStupid. (The projection is truly awesome, is it not?)
We knew that Heimer was antivaccine; so deconstructing her antivaccine tropes is like shooting fish in the proverbial barrel. Instead, let’s look at this:
I have to admit, I was left wondering which team the parents of fully vaccinated, vaccine-injured children were on or the parents who vaccinated but believe in choice?
Yes, this is another sad attempt by the CDC to pit parent against parent. Nothing else works. We’re educated and we see through their lacking data, intentional cover-ups, and misleading propaganda, including their latest ploy at “scaring” parents into vaccinating. But it’s like we’re immune to bull$h*t. (Excuse my language but this is an occasion that warrants such a word and I think Jesus would be okay with it.) Education has that effect on people. So they’ve had to stoop to the level of creating animosity between mothers and they’re sending a misleading message that you don’t care about your child’s health if you don’t vaccinate. Nice. How sixth-grade of them.
This is what we in the biz call reading a meaning into an advertisement that isn’t there. Do you see any message of divisiveness in the CDC message? I sure don’t. It’s basically a positive message encouraging parents to vaccinate. There’s no snarkiness, as I use from time to time when dealing with antivaccine loons like Heimer. There’s no demonization of the vaccine hesitant or antivaccine activists. There’s just a simple message: Vaccinate your children. Join #TeamVax. The only way you can object to that message and view it as somehow “pitting parent against parent” is if you are antivaccine and view yourself on #TeamAntivax. Otherwise, why would you object, unless you view #TeamVax as the enemy and any perceived attempt to recruit to it as an attempt by the enemy to swell its numbers.
That’s because Megan Heimer is antivaccine. To the core.
Neptune comes closest to Earth today – on August 31, 2015 – and reaches opposition less than a day later, on September 1. By closest, we don’t mean close. Neptune lodges in the outskirts of our solar system. At opposition, this giant world lies 29 times farther away from Earth than Earth lies from the sun.
Neptune is said to be at opposition – opposite the sun in Earth’s sky – whenever our planet Earth in its orbit passes between the sun and Neptune. That’s what’s happening over the next couple of days.
On the night of Neptune’s opposition, Neptune rises in the east around sunset, climbs highest up for the night around midnight and sets in the west around sunrise. As viewed from Earth now, this world is in front of the constellation Aquarius the Water Carrier.
Opposition is a special event. When any planet outside of Earth’s orbit is at or near opposition, Earth comes closest to that planet for the year, and that planet, in turn, shines most brightly in our sky. Even at opposition, however, Neptune, the eighth planet outward from the sun, is not all that close and it’s not all that bright.
In fact, Neptune is the only major solar system planet that’s absolutely not visible to the unaided eye. This world is about five times fainter than the dimmest star that you can see on an inky black night. You’ll need binoculars and a detailed sky chart to see Neptune in front of the constellation Aquarius.
Even at that, it’ll only look like a faint star.
Neptune, the fourth largest planet, is just a touch smaller than Uranus, the third largest. You would have to line up four Earths side by side to equal the diameter of either planet. Unlike Neptune, it’s possible – though difficult – to see Uranus, the seventh planet outward, without an optical aid.
Artist's concept of crescent Neptune and a distant sun as viewed from Triton, Neptune's largest moon. Image via ESO/L. Calcada
Bottom line: On August 31, 2015, the Earth is about to swing in between the sun and Neptune. On this day, Neptune comes closest to Earth and shines at its brightest for the year. Yet … you’ll still need good binoculars or a telescope to spot Neptune. Uranus and Neptune finder charts for 2015, here.
from EarthSky http://ift.tt/1Fb8XJ4
Neptune comes closest to Earth today – on August 31, 2015 – and reaches opposition less than a day later, on September 1. By closest, we don’t mean close. Neptune lodges in the outskirts of our solar system. At opposition, this giant world lies 29 times farther away from Earth than Earth lies from the sun.
Neptune is said to be at opposition – opposite the sun in Earth’s sky – whenever our planet Earth in its orbit passes between the sun and Neptune. That’s what’s happening over the next couple of days.
On the night of Neptune’s opposition, Neptune rises in the east around sunset, climbs highest up for the night around midnight and sets in the west around sunrise. As viewed from Earth now, this world is in front of the constellation Aquarius the Water Carrier.
Opposition is a special event. When any planet outside of Earth’s orbit is at or near opposition, Earth comes closest to that planet for the year, and that planet, in turn, shines most brightly in our sky. Even at opposition, however, Neptune, the eighth planet outward from the sun, is not all that close and it’s not all that bright.
In fact, Neptune is the only major solar system planet that’s absolutely not visible to the unaided eye. This world is about five times fainter than the dimmest star that you can see on an inky black night. You’ll need binoculars and a detailed sky chart to see Neptune in front of the constellation Aquarius.
Even at that, it’ll only look like a faint star.
Neptune, the fourth largest planet, is just a touch smaller than Uranus, the third largest. You would have to line up four Earths side by side to equal the diameter of either planet. Unlike Neptune, it’s possible – though difficult – to see Uranus, the seventh planet outward, without an optical aid.
Artist's concept of crescent Neptune and a distant sun as viewed from Triton, Neptune's largest moon. Image via ESO/L. Calcada
Bottom line: On August 31, 2015, the Earth is about to swing in between the sun and Neptune. On this day, Neptune comes closest to Earth and shines at its brightest for the year. Yet … you’ll still need good binoculars or a telescope to spot Neptune. Uranus and Neptune finder charts for 2015, here.
In this town of 403 residents 83 miles above the Arctic Circle, beaches are disappearing, ice is melting, temperatures are rising, and the barrier reef Kivalina calls home gets smaller and smaller with every storm.
There is no space left to build homes for the living. The dead are now flown to the mainland so the ocean won’t encroach upon their graves. Most here agree that the town should be relocated; where, when and who will pay for it are the big questions. The Army Corps of Engineers figures Kivalina will be underwater in the next decade or so.
It really ought to be possible to impeach politicians for egregious wrongness. Or maybe the voters in California’s 48th district ought to stop electing this asshole.
from ScienceBlogs http://ift.tt/1MWBMPW
Here’s a treat: a congressman who has been in office since 1989, and is on the Committee on Science, Space and Technology.
@fullofbalogna claiming Global Warming they create powerful Global gov. Claiming tooth decay they mandate chemical fluoride in our water
In this town of 403 residents 83 miles above the Arctic Circle, beaches are disappearing, ice is melting, temperatures are rising, and the barrier reef Kivalina calls home gets smaller and smaller with every storm.
There is no space left to build homes for the living. The dead are now flown to the mainland so the ocean won’t encroach upon their graves. Most here agree that the town should be relocated; where, when and who will pay for it are the big questions. The Army Corps of Engineers figures Kivalina will be underwater in the next decade or so.
It really ought to be possible to impeach politicians for egregious wrongness. Or maybe the voters in California’s 48th district ought to stop electing this asshole.
Here’s the Texas Star Party in 2009, one of the biggest such events of the year, drawing about 500 deep-sky enthusiasts and their telescopes to the Davis Mountains of West Texas. Image via Todd Hargis and Ron Ronhaar.
Interested in astronomy, but not sure where to begin? Seek out your local astronomy club, a roomful of willing and able amateur astronomers, whose telescopes may offer your first glimpse of the cosmos. The Astronomical League, an umbrella organization of 240 amateur astronomy clubs and societies in the U.S., helps us create and maintain the list of events on this page. Click here to visit the Astronomical League’s website.
Know of an event that’s not on this list? Contact us.
April 2–9, 2016
OzSky Star Safari, a.k.a. Deepest
South Texas Star Safari
Coonabarabran, New South Wales, Australia www.ozsky.org
May 1-8, 2016
38th Annual Texas Star Party
Prude Ranch near Fort Davis, Texas texasstarparty.org/
Bottom line: List of astronomy and night sky events for the public, for fall 2015 and spring 2016. Join in, and have fun!
from EarthSky http://ift.tt/1IwNpXw
Here’s the Texas Star Party in 2009, one of the biggest such events of the year, drawing about 500 deep-sky enthusiasts and their telescopes to the Davis Mountains of West Texas. Image via Todd Hargis and Ron Ronhaar.
Interested in astronomy, but not sure where to begin? Seek out your local astronomy club, a roomful of willing and able amateur astronomers, whose telescopes may offer your first glimpse of the cosmos. The Astronomical League, an umbrella organization of 240 amateur astronomy clubs and societies in the U.S., helps us create and maintain the list of events on this page. Click here to visit the Astronomical League’s website.
Know of an event that’s not on this list? Contact us.
“When he came home, I could see a change. He was quieter and he was a man and a hero to me. I watched him and listened to him. I’d never had an opportunity to do a superhero, and when that came, [that voice] just came right out of me and I sounded like Optimus.” –Peter Cullen, on his brother
If you were a kid in the mid-to-late 1980s, you couldn’t have missed the phenomenon of Transformers, and if you were a kid again in the late 2000s/early 2010s, you had another chance to become enamored of these multi-formed giant robots. Have a listen to Tracy Chapman’s reflective and provocative song,
while you consider that Transformers isn’t just a recipe for toy sales,
Image credit: Powermaster Optimus Prime, via http://ift.tt/1icOoXS.
but is a recipe for firing the imaginations of kids and adults alike. In particular, if you wanted to have a birthday party that was Transformers-themed, what could be a better addition to it than an Optimus Prime cake?
The answer, of course, is an Optimus Prime Cake that transforms!
Image credit: Russell Munro, via http://ift.tt/1NZymuz.
“When he came home, I could see a change. He was quieter and he was a man and a hero to me. I watched him and listened to him. I’d never had an opportunity to do a superhero, and when that came, [that voice] just came right out of me and I sounded like Optimus.” –Peter Cullen, on his brother
If you were a kid in the mid-to-late 1980s, you couldn’t have missed the phenomenon of Transformers, and if you were a kid again in the late 2000s/early 2010s, you had another chance to become enamored of these multi-formed giant robots. Have a listen to Tracy Chapman’s reflective and provocative song,
while you consider that Transformers isn’t just a recipe for toy sales,
Image credit: Powermaster Optimus Prime, via http://ift.tt/1icOoXS.
but is a recipe for firing the imaginations of kids and adults alike. In particular, if you wanted to have a birthday party that was Transformers-themed, what could be a better addition to it than an Optimus Prime cake?
The answer, of course, is an Optimus Prime Cake that transforms!
Image credit: Russell Munro, via http://ift.tt/1NZymuz.
View larger. | NASA’s Terra satellite saw Hurricanes Kilo, Ignacio, and Jimena lined up across the Central and Eastern Pacific Ocean on August 29 at 22:25 UTC (6:25 p.m. EDT).
NASA’s Terra satellite just released this August 29 image of Hurricanes Kilo, Ignacio, and Jimena, all Category Four Hurricanes. According to the Weather Channel:
This is the first recorded occurrence of three Category 4 hurricanes in the central and eastern Pacific basins at the same time. In addition, it’s also the first time with three major hurricanes (Category 3 or stronger) in those basins simultaneously, according to hurricane specialist Eric Blake of the National Hurricane Center.
The Central Pacific Hurricane Center (CPHC) in Honolulu Hawaii is issuing advisories on all of the hurricanes. On Sunday, August 30, from west to east, Hurricane Kilo was located 1,210 miles west-southwest of Honolulu, Hawaii, Hurricane Ignacio was located 515 miles east-southeast of Hilo, Hawaii, and Hurricane Jimena was located 1,815 miles east-southeast of Hilo, Hawaii.
Read more below, and for updated forecasts and local effects to Hawaii, visit the CPHC website: http://ift.tt/1m30kG2.
At 5 a.m. EDT (0900 UTC) on August 30, the center of hurricane kilo was located near latitude 18.6 north and longitude 176.8 west. Kilo was moving toward the west-northwest near 9 mph (15 kph). Kilo is expected to curve toward the northwest…then west northwest over the next two days.
Maximum sustained winds are near 140 mph (220 kph) with higher gusts. Kilo is a category four hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane wind scale. Little change is expected for the next 12 hours…then slight weakening through 48 hours. The estimated minimum central pressure is 940 millibars.
Kilo is expected to continue remaining a major hurricane through Thursday, September 3 is it moves to the north-northwest while remaining away from and to the west-southwest of Midway Island, Kure Atoll, Pearl and Hermes Atoll. For updated forecasts and local effects to Hawaii, visit the CPHC website: http://ift.tt/1m30kG2.
On August 30, a tropical storm watch was in effect for Maui county…including the islands of Maui…Molokai…Lanai and Kahoolawe, in addition to Hawaii County.
Like Kilo, Ignacio is a category four hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane wind scale. Maximum sustained winds are near 140 mph (220 kph). The CPHC expects Ignacio to weaken through Tuesday, September 2.
At 8 a.m. EDT (2 a.m. HST/1200 UTC) the center of Hurricane Ignacio was located near latitude 17.9 north and longitude 148.2 west. Ignacio is moving toward the northwest near 8 mph (13 kph) and this motion Is expected to continue for the next couple of days. On the forecast track…the center of Ignacio is expected to pass to the northeast of the big island on Monday, then northeast of the smaller islands Tuesday. The estimated minimum central pressure is 948 millibars. For the National Weather Service local statement on Ignacio on August 30: http://ift.tt/1AY7yG0.
Meanwhile, an astronaut aboard the International Space Station, @Astro_Kimiya, captured some amazing images of the eye of Jimena.
At 5 a.m. EDT (O900 UTC), the eye of Hurricane Jimena was located near latitude 13.7 North, longitude 128.4 West. That’s about 1,365 miles (2,200 km) west-southwest of the southern tip of Baja California, Mexico.
Like Kilo and Ignacio, Jimena is a category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Maximum sustained winds have decreased to near 130 mph (215 kph) with higher gusts. Fluctuations in intensity are possible during the next day or so, but Jimena is expected to remain a major hurricane through Monday, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Jimena’s estimated minimum central pressure is 947 millibars. Jimena is moving toward the west-northwest near 13 mph (20 kph) and this general motion is expected to continue for the next couple of days. For updated forecasts, visit the National Hurricane Center: www.nhc.noaa.gov
Bottom line: It’s the first recorded occurrence of three Category 4 hurricanes in central and eastern Pacific basins at once. The Central Pacific Hurricane Center in Honolulu, Hawaii is issuing advisories on all three.
from EarthSky http://ift.tt/1LLUc7h
View larger. | NASA’s Terra satellite saw Hurricanes Kilo, Ignacio, and Jimena lined up across the Central and Eastern Pacific Ocean on August 29 at 22:25 UTC (6:25 p.m. EDT).
NASA’s Terra satellite just released this August 29 image of Hurricanes Kilo, Ignacio, and Jimena, all Category Four Hurricanes. According to the Weather Channel:
This is the first recorded occurrence of three Category 4 hurricanes in the central and eastern Pacific basins at the same time. In addition, it’s also the first time with three major hurricanes (Category 3 or stronger) in those basins simultaneously, according to hurricane specialist Eric Blake of the National Hurricane Center.
The Central Pacific Hurricane Center (CPHC) in Honolulu Hawaii is issuing advisories on all of the hurricanes. On Sunday, August 30, from west to east, Hurricane Kilo was located 1,210 miles west-southwest of Honolulu, Hawaii, Hurricane Ignacio was located 515 miles east-southeast of Hilo, Hawaii, and Hurricane Jimena was located 1,815 miles east-southeast of Hilo, Hawaii.
Read more below, and for updated forecasts and local effects to Hawaii, visit the CPHC website: http://ift.tt/1m30kG2.
At 5 a.m. EDT (0900 UTC) on August 30, the center of hurricane kilo was located near latitude 18.6 north and longitude 176.8 west. Kilo was moving toward the west-northwest near 9 mph (15 kph). Kilo is expected to curve toward the northwest…then west northwest over the next two days.
Maximum sustained winds are near 140 mph (220 kph) with higher gusts. Kilo is a category four hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane wind scale. Little change is expected for the next 12 hours…then slight weakening through 48 hours. The estimated minimum central pressure is 940 millibars.
Kilo is expected to continue remaining a major hurricane through Thursday, September 3 is it moves to the north-northwest while remaining away from and to the west-southwest of Midway Island, Kure Atoll, Pearl and Hermes Atoll. For updated forecasts and local effects to Hawaii, visit the CPHC website: http://ift.tt/1m30kG2.
On August 30, a tropical storm watch was in effect for Maui county…including the islands of Maui…Molokai…Lanai and Kahoolawe, in addition to Hawaii County.
Like Kilo, Ignacio is a category four hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane wind scale. Maximum sustained winds are near 140 mph (220 kph). The CPHC expects Ignacio to weaken through Tuesday, September 2.
At 8 a.m. EDT (2 a.m. HST/1200 UTC) the center of Hurricane Ignacio was located near latitude 17.9 north and longitude 148.2 west. Ignacio is moving toward the northwest near 8 mph (13 kph) and this motion Is expected to continue for the next couple of days. On the forecast track…the center of Ignacio is expected to pass to the northeast of the big island on Monday, then northeast of the smaller islands Tuesday. The estimated minimum central pressure is 948 millibars. For the National Weather Service local statement on Ignacio on August 30: http://ift.tt/1AY7yG0.
Meanwhile, an astronaut aboard the International Space Station, @Astro_Kimiya, captured some amazing images of the eye of Jimena.
At 5 a.m. EDT (O900 UTC), the eye of Hurricane Jimena was located near latitude 13.7 North, longitude 128.4 West. That’s about 1,365 miles (2,200 km) west-southwest of the southern tip of Baja California, Mexico.
Like Kilo and Ignacio, Jimena is a category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Maximum sustained winds have decreased to near 130 mph (215 kph) with higher gusts. Fluctuations in intensity are possible during the next day or so, but Jimena is expected to remain a major hurricane through Monday, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Jimena’s estimated minimum central pressure is 947 millibars. Jimena is moving toward the west-northwest near 13 mph (20 kph) and this general motion is expected to continue for the next couple of days. For updated forecasts, visit the National Hurricane Center: www.nhc.noaa.gov
Bottom line: It’s the first recorded occurrence of three Category 4 hurricanes in central and eastern Pacific basins at once. The Central Pacific Hurricane Center in Honolulu, Hawaii is issuing advisories on all three.
