Could a space helicopter find life on Saturn’s moon Titan

I have been fascinated by the latest exploration of the outer reaches of our Solar System. There are several moons around what they call the “gas giant” planets. These are big planets, mostly atmosphere, way larger than Earth, with lots of moons and rings around them. Recently I posted an article about the small group of moons at which scientist hope to find primitive alien life. If they find it on any of these moons, it will prove we are not alone in the Universe. It will mean that there is life on other planets/ moons and other heavenly bodies. It is also likely that somewhere in the Milky Way Galaxy there is intelligent life. So here is an article on a proposed plan to study Titan, a moon around the planet Saturn. – SJ Otto

From Scientific American:

Orange skies, icy dunes and methane clouds—no, it’s not some post-apocalyptic picture of Earth. It’s what Saturn’s moon Titan might look like to explorers. While it doesn’t sound like paradise, scientists, including my colleagues in chemistry at the University of Colorado Boulder, think Titan has enough in common with Earth that it’s worth studying. But is there life on Titan? Right now, we can’t say for sure.

Cassini-Huygens, the mission that discovered most of what’s known about Titan, ended in 2017. Data from Cassini,  which orbited Saturn, and Huygens, Cassini’s surface lander on Titan, confirmed that Titan has water as well as numerous reserves of carbon-containing chemicals. Life on Earth is based on complex carbon-based chemicals, like DNA. Based on what’s known about Earth’s history, finding water and carbon-containing chemicals mixed up in a primordial soup could be the right recipe for life. Enter Dragonfly, a proposed mission to explore Titan’s surface using a lander equipped with helicopter-like propellers. Dragonfly’s mission could help us understand our own primordial evolution—or even discover extraterrestrial life.

Titan has some features reminiscent of Earth. There are clouds, lakes (albeit filled with oil, not water) and even tides. Storms form on Titan’s surface, just like on Earth. But Titan’s storms are made of methane, not water vapor. And although Titan’s temperature is well above absolute zero, it’s still absolutely freezing, with an average surface temperature of minus 290 degrees Fahrenheit, it has a dense atmosphere, so you wouldn’t need a pressurized space suit to walk around—just oxygen and many, many layers of very warm clothes.

While scientists don’t know yet if life could exist on Titan, Cassini-Huygens’ discovery of a buried saltwater ocean on Titan was a promising sign for primordial soup. Cassini-Huygens managed to find the ocean without ever getting its feet wet. Electromagnetic waves, like the ones that let your car stereo pick up your favorite country music, can tell scientists a lot about the materials they pass through.

For the rest click here.

Latest spike in the coronavirus brings out the worst in humanity—The scum de la scum!

By SJ Otto

There are times when politics in this country goes from conservative to grotesque. Some people are so cold hearted and self centered that they don’t care who dies from the coronavirus. Our President Donald Trump certainly does not care who he hurts or who gets hurt. Unfortunately there are many others in this country who are right behind him.
Just recently Trump asked The US Supreme Court to strike down the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare). We are in the middle of a pandemic and he wants to wipe out health coverage for as many as 23 million Americans. It seems unthinkable and incredibly cruel. And yet our leader has plunged ahead on a path that will destroy people’s lives and possibly cost people their lives. And it seems as if he just doesn’t care. He has his far-right agenda and nothing is more important than that agenda.
Unfortunately he has many followers and whether they follow him directly or they just happen to be as heartless as him, they all contribute to an attitude that other people’s lives are less important that someone’s personal individual freedom.
According to Forbes:

“There are now over a dozens states who have experienced repeated anti stay-at-home” protests. Some of these protests, while purported to be spontaneous, it turns out are often less an example of grassroots organising and more an example of what is referred to as “astroturf” organising, or well-funded groups that organise supporters to make it look like a grassroots movement.”

As this article points out, this is way more than just some people who are spontaneously rebelling against stay-at-home rules and measures. Much of it is organized by far right organizations:

“In Michigan, protests organised by the Michigan Conservative Coalition and the Michigan Freedom Fund - whose chairman manages a large amount of the financial investments of Education Secretary, Betsy DeVos - blocked ambulances from delivering patients to hospitals. Participants in the protest chanted, “Open up Michigan!” At one point, some protesters were heard chanting, “lock her up” in reference to Michigan Governor, Gretchen Whitmer, who responded, “The cars were blocking one of our hospitals, so an ambulance literally wasn’t able to get into the bay for ten minutes,” continuing “This is the kind of behaviour that extends the needs for stay-at-home orders.”

So not only are these brutish protesters selfish because they won’t wear masks or stay at home, there are political groups trying to gain from the pandemic. All this is taking place as the nation tried to open up the economy and businesses such as bars and restaurants and the results is a spike in our nation’s sick and dying from the coronavirus. According to The Washington Post:

“Seven states are reporting new highs for current coronavirus hospitalizations, according to data tracked by The Washington Post — Arizona, Arkansas, California, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas — as the number of infections continues to climb across the South and West. More than 800 covid-19 deaths were reported in the United States on Tuesday, the first time fatalities have increased since June 7.”

It is hard to understand what a conservative leader, as Trump, or those various organizations that are fighting against the stay-at-home orders, get out of such actions. Do they save tax payers money by denying people government aided health care? What ever they are getting, they are getting it at the expense of people’s lives. We are seeing the dregs of humanity, the bottom of the barrel, and the slimiest of the slime balls. We are seeing humanity at its worst. Polls are showing that Joe Biden is way ahead of Trump and if the election were held tomorrow, Trump would be tossed out on his ass. That is what he deserves. Unfortunately many of us don’t expect the kind of change this country really needs. It will be a slight improvement, but not much of an improvement at that. As I watch the right-wing jerks, yelling at people and showing disrespect mainly at people who have the nerve to want to live, at the expense of some jerks idea of freedom, I am sickened—pure and simple.  

These are difficult times and the scum who are causing them seem to have no plans to change their ways anytime soon.

Stay-At-Home Order Protests Surface | The View

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Wins Democratic Primary Election by a Landslide

It does not surprise me at all that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez won a re-election in her district. According to News Break she won by a landslide. While I am not surprised, I am pleased. From everything I have heard AOC had everything thrown at her from both the conservative wing of the Democratic Party and the Republicans. The establishment has tried to derail her. There is little doubt that the other so called members of “The Squad” are under attack from the more established members of the Democratic Party. While AOC is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), other such Democrats are merely “progressive” as was Elizabeth Warren. We now have a foot hold on the political landscape of the US and it is up to all of us to keep that foot hold. That means supporting new members of the progressive wing, such as “The Squad” and supporting even newer members of congress that have progressive leanings. This is way more important than just supporting Joe Biden or even Bernie Sanders. These lower ranking politicians have a much better chance of changing things than the yahoos we are electing to the presidency. Let’s carry on…..

SJ Otto

From News Break:

Back in 2018, some people wrote off Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez‘s campaign and victorious win in the primary election as a fluke. Yes, her success was a surprise to everyone, including herself, but there was no way in denying that AOC had something special. She was a fighter and still is. Last night, the 30-year-old congresswoman won her second victory in the Democratic primary election. AOC’s main opponent was Michelle Caruso-Cabrera, a former journalist and former republican. AOC obtained 72.6 percent of the votes.

Read Full Story ❯

Life in the solar system- Proposed NASA Mission Would Visit Neptune's Curious Moon Triton

Science news!

By SJ Otto

When it comes to the subject of life on other planets/moons/ etc. I find it all fascinating. I remember when I first read about the idea that Europa had a large ocean of salty water below its crust of ice, in a cold temperature of -250˚. Next there are the moons of Titan and  Enceladus of Saturn. Enceladus is a tiny moon with water below its surface and it has geysers that allow liquid water to stream out. Then there is the frozen world of Titan, a moon with a thick atmosphere and liquid hydrocarbons. There is no water, but the liquid hydrocarbons may provide the moon with the liquid it needs for primitive life forms there.

Now there is the possibility that the planet Neptune’s moon Triton (-290˚) has life forms below the surface, much like Europa or Enceladus. For me it is always exciting to imagine that there are living things in our solar system. It would mean that we are not alone in the galaxy. It would be really cool if there are other living things in our solar system.

So from NASA:

When NASA's Voyager 2 spacecraft flew by Neptune's strange moon Triton three decades ago, it wrote a planetary science cliffhanger.

Voyager 2 is the only spacecraft ever to have flown past Neptune, and it left a lot of unanswered questions. The views were as stunning as they were puzzling, revealing massive, dark plumes of icy material spraying out from Triton's surface. But how? Images showed that the icy landscape was young and had been resurfaced over and over with fresh material. But what material, and from where?

How could an ancient moon six times farther from the Sun than Jupiter still be active? Is there something in its interior that is still warm enough to drive this activity?

A new mission competing for selection under NASA's Discovery Program aims to untangle these mysteries. Called Trident, like the three-pronged spear carried by the ancient Roman sea god Neptune, the team is one of four that is developing concept studies for new missions. Up to two will be selected by summer 2021 to become a full-fledged mission and will launch later in the decade.  

Investigating how Triton has changed over time would give scientists a better understanding of how solar system bodies evolve and work.

For the rest click here.

Triton

Titan

Enceladus

DSA group discusses police culture of killing people

By SJ Otto

Teaching cops to kill people was among the discussions held at this month's Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) meeting, Sunday evening. Less than 20 people were there. A film clip of Dave Grossman, encouraging police to learn to kill people instinctively, as a part of routine training, was shown at the meeting.

A person in attendance explained that police are trained to be part of a culture of killing people. It is similar to being in the military were Grossman explained that killing a suspected criminal, is necessary to save the live of both the police and the other law abiding citizens who he said are at risk if such lives are not taken. Grossman spans the country, giving lectures on how police can kill a suspect rather than taking a chance that trying to arrest that suspect might end in a violent retaliation.

Several film clips were shown from a sight called PoliceOne.com. There were several examples of Grossman giving lectures in which he encourages police to kill a suspect rather than taking him in. He tells cops to consider every encounter life and death—as in the military.

 It was all about eliminating dangers to the policeman. What was missing was any respect for the rights of the accused. In one film they show two policemen pulling over a car for running a red light. When the officers approach the car, one of the policemen notices that he had a past run in with the passenger in the car. There was a gun in the glove box. He screams at the suspect to put up his hands and not to move. The officer takes the gun out of the glove box and puts it on the ground. For some reason the suspect tries to open the car door and both police shoot the unarmed man. The narrator explains that the passenger had been arrested and sent to 13 years in prison for aiming a gun at some cops. It was for that reason that this policeman felt justified in firing on the suspect even though he was unarmed at the time. The narrator explains that this is a justified killing because of what this suspect did 13 years ago.  

The group discussed what a defunded police force would look like. Many people there agreed we will need to rebuild some kind of police force. But we need to change the attitude of our nation’s police. We should not draw people in who like to misuse authority and kill unarmed people. A change in police attitudes was a main reason for getting rid of present police departments and starting over. One person explained that a police union was actually very progressive at certain times in history. But in recent times that union allows police to cover for each other when one of them has misused their authority.  

Everyone was encouraged to wear a mask to the meeting. Some were available to anyone who came without one. The group is stocking up on hand sanitizers. The group is very conscious about the dangers of the coronavirus.

The local DSA is also working on a Bail Out program for people who are arrested during the various marches going on in the country today.

Captain Higgins targets suspected gang members

This video was discussed at the meeting. This Higgins person seems to think he is like Dirty Harry. He taunts suspected gang members, inviting them to get killed by him. His attitude is vulgar and he seems lack any respect for human life.

Reducing the police budget in New York

From Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez:

-The amount is $6,000,000,000!

That’s the policing budget in New York City alone. It’s truly mind-boggling. That’s more than we spend on housing, youth, hospitals, and homelessness services combined.

In the last couple weeks, police have used these budgets to pepper-spray children in the face. Shoot journalists with rubber bullets. Fire tear gas at peaceful residents. Taser and arrest people who weren’t even protesting.

That’s why today, we need a massive, people-powered effort to push back. We’re directing 100% of funds on this page to support groups working to defund police, hold cops accountable, and end police violence – chip in right now.

So for contributions see here:

Contribute $15 Contribute $25 Contribute $50 Contribute $100 Contribute $250 Give another amount

We’re in a crisis of state violence.

Taking on this kind of abuse of power often takes major risk. That’s what many groups are doing. We need to stand with them.

Split a contribution right now to support four groups who are working hard to end police violence.

Thank you,

Team AOC

On the Death of Jim Erickson, a local celebrity, AKA Ol' Flick

Official Obit

By SJ Otto

A good friend of mine died yesterday, Jim Erickson. He was something of a local celebrity.  He used to do commercials, everything from used cars to potato chips. He used to introduce movies and TV shows. He was also an English language professor at Wichita State University (WSU). He also did movie reviews.

He was known to a lot of folks as “Old Flick.” At the KMUW radio station where he did movie reviews. I discussed movies with him many times. We did not always see eye to eye. For example on such movies A Clockwork Orange, he didn’t like that movie and I did. I liked The Killing Fields. He did not. He said they used a lot of tricks they got from other movies to make the battle scenes in The Killing Fields. He was very picky.

We agreed more on politics. While I’m a Marxist/ Maoist, he was more of a liberal. We despised many of the same politicians, such as Ronald Reagan and both Bushes.[1] But we occasionally did not see things the same. I had a Maoist friend, Charles Blackmon,

who is dead now, who at one time told Erickson that he admired a group of Maoist guerrillas, in a Latin American country, who did the local women, in a town, a favor and executed some prostitutes. Erickson was horrified at the idea. I did agree with him that executing prostitutes was a terrible idea. But he never wanted to see my Maoist friend again. I was willing to overlook that issue and Chuck and I stayed friends until he died. Erickson said he never wanted to see him again.

As an English professor Erickson threw a lot of students off, because he was very hard on them. Many thought he would be a pushover since he seemed so lackadaisical on TV, as his various personalities. But he took his work as a professor very seriously.

We haven’t had a party at my house in many years, but when we did we often invited Erickson. He often came early or on time. We considered him eccentric. He was one of a kind. My wife, Cam Gentry, liked knowing him. She also joked about the shorts and other close he used to wear when he visited the WSU library.[2]

We also went to his parties. He used to have about four a year. Then after a while he only had one a year and that was his Halloween Party. I used to look forward to his Halloween Party because I had many friends I only met once a year at this party. Every year I came up with an elaborate costume.

A few years ago he stopped having all of his parties. He kept complaining that people stole things from him. He had some really good antiques and collectables of all kinds. He had all kinds of movie paraphernalia and souvenirs. So I can understand why he hated it when someone took off with his things.

Erickson liked drinking for many years. One year the press came to his house before one of his parties and he was so drunk they couldn’t use the interview. Shortly after that he quit drinking. He told me that he kept reading these pamphlets on how to tell if you drink too much. He decided he would just quit drinking and he no longer had that problem to worry about.

He told someone in a press interview that he avoided relationships with women because he didn’t like the pain of breaking up with someone. Erickson was a proud supporter of Women’s rights and he had a good relationship with the local National Organization for Women. He supported many liberal causes and he used to wear a lot of different buttons on those various issues.

Erickson was quite a few years older than me. But all people die sooner or later. I knew that some day we would have to see Erickson’s life come to an end. That happened Wednesday morning. I will miss him. Many of us will. We all enjoyed his company and we were always glad when he came to our parties. Any party we have now will be without him and we will miss him.

---

[1] George H. W. Bush, George W. Bush.

[2] Cam was a librarian at WSU.

The right-wing thundering loonie playbook in case a black man is killed by the police

This is from guest writer John Mesh— From The Bench by John J. Mesh

The right-wing thundering loony playbook in case a black man is killed by the police:

• Blame the victim.
• Character assassination.
• Attack the family.
• Bring up black-on-black crime.
• Say the black man would be looking down and happy that black unemployment is at 20-25-30% and non-white joblessness has increased. But according to the Dept. of Labor's cooked books, white unemployment is down. So let's throw a news conference!
• Blame Colin Kaepernick.
• Say Trump isn't a racist.
• Put up a lot of fences and surround Trump with armed guards.
• Have Trump hide in a bunker.
• Have Melania tweet a lot.
• Have Trump post 200 tweets a day.
• Make sure Trump has a lame photo-op in front of a church after he sends the military police to bull rush protesters to get them out of the way.
• Have black commentators like Harris Faulkner and Candace Owens attack the black man so you don't look "racist." That didn't work.
• Call all protesters, young or old, black or white, "Antifa" -- I guess that makes the accusers "pro-fa."
• Blame Margaret Sanger, Bill Gates, Barack Obama, George Soros or Yoko Ono for everything.

Comments on protests against police violence by Code Pink

From Code Pink:

After a week of inspiring protests against police brutality around the country, far-right Senator Tom Cotton is in a tizzy. “First it was ‘abolish ICE’. Now they want to defund the local police who keep us safe. What is next—disband the military?” 

We say, hell yeah!

Defunding the Pentagon is something we’ve been working with our partners on for decades and, thanks to the Poor People’s Campaign, we have all of the details. Endorse the Poor People’s Campaign’s call to cut $350 billion from the Pentagon budget and invest that money in our local communities.  

Take a look at the Poor People’s Campaign Moral Budget, which calls for deep cuts in annual military spending and add your name as an endorser. Once we get enough people to endorse, we can work with members of Congress—other than Sen. Cotton—to cut Pentagon spending and invest in the needs of the people.  

Yesterday, Reverend Barber led a day of fasting to lift up the demands of the people in this moment of reckoning. “Our movement must push for political and economic transformation to end police violence and all violence against black, brown, and poor people,” he pleaded. Invoking the need to address the triple evils of racism, poverty, and militarism, he laid out specifics: 

• Hold police who terrorize accountable through “apprehension, investigation, prosecution, conviction, and incarceration;”
• Establish real security—healthcare for all, housing, ensuring the right to vote, etc.;
• Demilitarize the police though defunding of police departments, ending the 1033 program, ending cash bail, and more;
• End mass incarceration and criminalization of the poor; 
• End the endless wars—lift sanctions, DEFUND THE PENTAGON!

The Poor People’s Campaign budget is laid out in full detail: Cutting $350 billion from the Pentagon, which is about half its budget, would make the nation and the world more secure. In addition, $886 billion can be gathered annually from taxing corporations, Wall Street, and the one percent. These savings, as well as the money that will be saved from defunding police departments and ending mass incarceration, will then be used to address climate change, lift people out of poverty, provide education, and much more. 

Check out the Poor People’s Campaign Moral Budget and add your name as an endorser. Once we get enough signatures, we will reach out to progressive champions in Congress to work with them on cutting the Pentagon and bringing a moral budget based on peace and justice to the people. 

Speaking at Riverside Church in 2017, 50 years after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke there, Reverend Barber said: “The question today is are we going to be on the side of violence or nonviolence?” After the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmoud Arbery, and so many before them, the people of this nation have made it clear that we will no longer tolerate police violence. People in New York City, D.C., Los Angeles, Atlanta, and all across the U.S. are taking our commitment to nonviolence to the streets. Now, we need Congress to legislate it. Add your name now as an endorser of the Poor People’s Campaign Moral Budget!

Towards an end to racism, poverty, and militarism, 

Ariel, Ann, Asia, Carley, Caty, Cody, Emily, Jodie, Kelsey, Leila, Leonardo, Makena, Mary, Medea, Michelle, Nancy, Paki, Teri, and Yousef

P.S. Join us this Sunday, June 14 at 5PM PT for a screening of “We Cried Power,” a documentary about the Poor People’s Campaign.

Pix:

Did you see what far-right Senator Tom Cotton tweeted over the weekend? “What is next—disband the military?,” he wrote, incredulous about the momentum to defund the police. We say, hell yeah! Check out the Poor People’s Campaign Moral Budget, which details how we can cut $350 billion from the Pentagon and invest in our local communities. 

Add Your Name

Report from 21st and Arkansas—Wichita, KS

By SJ Otto

In the fist two days of this week, there was looting and vandalism at a site for protesting and rallying at 21^st and Arkansas Street. On Wednesday, I attended a rally at that place and interviewed Sarahi Aguilera, of the Immigrant justice organization, a part of Sunflower Action. She insisted that change is needed and her fellow protesters and organizers need to be affective.

“Need to be corrective and affective,” she said.

“We can protest all we want, until we can get out and vote.”

She told me that she and here fellow people attending the rally were concerned about the oppression in this country. She told me this community lacks resources.

“It’s amazing to see groups come together in solidarity,” Aguilera said.

All across the country there have been protest in favor of the Black Lives Matter in response to the murder of George Floyd.

Many of these protests have been peaceful, others have been violent and the reaction from the cops, have at times, also been violent. 

At right, Sarahi Aguilera. Below are people who came to rally at 21st and Arkansas.

Once again we see the folly of an elected novice, lacking both experience and basic political knowledge—Trump on protesters for Floyd

By SJ Otto

The idea of electing a novice—one of those people who can brag that he “is not a politician,” we now see the foolishness of putting a man, President Donald Trump, in charge of the country that he is not able to really run.

The bottom line is that this is a man who now sees himself as “at war with protesters who are outraged at the death of George Floyd.” A person like Trump becomes dangerous, especially if he is able to carry out his lunatic ideas.

Today, in a Rose Garden speech shaded with anger, President Trump threatened to send the American military to states where governors could not bring the protests, over police brutality, under control. According to the StarTribune:

“Most of you are weak,” he said. “It’s like a war. And we will end it fast. Be tough.”

That is the ranting of a man who is easily set off by people who oppose his own views of the world. So far he has verbally lashed out at factions of the left that he has accused of being responsible for the violence across the county. He has refused to accuse right-wing groups of any violence. He is clearly supportive of far-right militant groups, related to Nazis and Ku Klux Klan. According to an audio recorded by The New York Times:

“But I saw what happened in Dallas, and those kids are all scum, they’re wise guys. And it’s coming from the radical left. You know it. Everybody knows it, but it’s also looters, and it’s people that figure they can get free stuff by running into stores and running out with television sets….”

He has specifically called out the Antifa, going as far as accusing them of being domesticated terrorists and calling for authorities to use various techniques, which in the past would be considered “dirty tricks,” such as “COINTELPRO,” used by the FBI for new left groups during the 1960s or 1970s. Antifa is an anarchist configuration. Its official a group known as anti-fascist political activists. According to Wikipedia it comprises autonomous activist groups that aim to achieve their political objectives through the use of direct action rather than through policy reform.

To attack this group will enrage the many anarchist people and groups in this country. He will also end up with organizations, such as the Revolutionary Communist Party (RCP) and other similar groups.

See RCP’s Bob Avakian:
Police Murder and a Murderous System.

On top of all these political factions, we have individuals, mostly black, who are legitimately enraged that George Floyd was killed needlessly by police. Trump’s actions are on the path of enraging people throughout this country, and not just leftists, but also people who want justice for Floyd. Trump is being warned by some of the Governors he has heckled. For example:

“Other governors pushed back, suggesting Mr. Trump’s presence in their states could provoke unrest. Gov. Janet Mills of Maine, a Democrat, told the president that his planned trip to a medical swab factory north of Bangor this week “may cause security problems.” Mr. Trump responded by dismissing her caution and saying he was even more determined to go.

After the president made extensive and uncorroborated claims about the protesters being part of an organized cabal, Ms. Mills, with evident skepticism, asked for proof. “I’d love to get the intelligence you appear to have access to,” she said.

Not all of the governors were uneasy with Mr. Trump’s language, particularly his fellow Republicans. After Ms. Mills sought to dissuade the president from going to Maine, Gov. Jim Justice of West Virginia spoke up when it was another governor’s turn to say that the president was welcome in his state.

And Gov. Henry McMaster of South Carolina seemed to echo some of Mr. Trump’s conspiratorial thinking. Mr. McMaster said that some of the protesters were being paid, and “we even hear some of them get a bonus if they get arrested.”

Of course the idea that protesters are being paid is ridiculous. Who would pay them and what would they gain for their money? This is purely ludicrous. Once again we need to remind people that this country is being lead by dogmatists of the right who are much more concerned that the far right stays in control of this country. Stopping police from casually killing black people is not in Trump’s interest or others like him.

While removing Trump from office may help the situation, what is WAY more important is the electing of progressives, on the state and local level, who can help us tilt this country away from far right ideology and move this country towards some kind of progressivism.

Democratic Presidential candidate Joe Biden is not very progressive. Removing Trump is not a bad idea, but replacing Congress people on both the national and state level is what is needed.