Pain, satin and paper towels: What it takes for ballerinas to dance on their toes

Posted on May 26, 2017 by Writer

Sona Kharatian and Ashley Murphy are Company Dancers at The Washington Ballet. (Andre Chung for The Washington Post)

‘I feel like I’m always in a battle with my feet,” says Lauren Lovette, with a sigh. One of New York City Ballet’s principal ballerinas, Lovette has beautifully arched, supple feet, and often, they’re killing her. 

After years of sprains and other injuries, she underwent surgery to correct a bone anomaly, but even with physical therapy, daily ankle exercises, ice baths and ointments, the 25-year-old still hasn’t made peace with her feet. 

Lovette shares this struggle with many dancers, whose feet take sustained abuse, and in the worst kind of footwear (or none at all). While they may run, jump, squat, leap and pivot like any NBA star, dancers do it without shock absorption, arch support or any foot-comfort features whatsoever. Athletes get to wear shoes that are protective and kind to their feet. Dancers experience no such luxuries as they speed around the stage barefoot, or in heels, or in thin slippers with a flimsy leather sole — or, if they’re ballerinas, in those tight-fitting torture chambers known as pointe shoes.

I had my own flirtation with pointe shoes as a ballet student in my youth, and I’ll never forget my alarm as I slid my feet into my first pair. Little bones I didn’t know I had were suddenly squeezed in a death grip. Pointe shoes may look dainty, but there’s

Article source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/theater_danc/pain-satin-and-paper-towels-what-it-takes-for-ballerinas-to-dance-on-their-toes/2017/05/26/b4824cd6-3cd0-11e7-b9e3-606b45ad1e5b_story.html

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C919, first China-built commercial airliner with 3D printed parts, takes maiden flight

Posted on May 26, 2017 by Writer

May 23, 2017 | By Julia

In what marks a momentous occasion for East Asian 3D printing, the first Chinese-built commercial airliner with 3D printed parts took its maiden flight on May 5, 2017. The C919 was developed by the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China Ltd (COMAC), and features 3D printed metals such as titanium alloys.

Truly a national effort, the C919 was designed and assembled in Shanghai by COMAC, while various parts were manufactured throughout China: the front parts and wings were manufactured in Chengdu and Xi’an, while the main body was produced in Nanchang.

The C919 is part of “Made in China 2025,” a nation-wide initiative that will see China aim to radically transform its traditional manufacturing economy. With the commercial airliner’s maiden flight a success, China has now sent a serious signal that it is ready to successfully carry out its manufacturing overhaul. “Made in China 2025” has zeroed in on 10 different sectors across the country, including 3D printing and the development of aerospace equipment.

As seen with the C919, the Chinese government has officially recognized 3D printing as a key component in growing China’s manufacturing economy. The revolutionary commercial airliner features 28 cabin door parts and two fan inlet structural parts, all made of 3D printed titanium. While 60% of the C919’s parts were manufactured in China, the remaining components were produced by foreign suppliers such as CFM International, Liebher-Aerospace, FACC and Honeywell.

Following the C919’s success, the Chinese government will be upping the stakes with an ambitious plan to

Article source: http://www.3ders.org/articles/20170523-c919-first-china-built-commercial-airliner-with-3d-printed-parts-takes-maiden-flight.html

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Local Events: May 26 to June 1

Posted on May 26, 2017 by Writer
Andrea Klassen/KTW

IN THE PHOTO AND COMING UP: A BRUSH WITH NATURE “There’s nothing like sitting on a stool surrounded by natural forms,” said Mark Brzustowski, one of three landscape painters whose works featuring Wells Gray Provincial Park and the Kamloops area are on display at Thompson Rivers University. The show, A Brush With Nature, celebrates painting outdoors in all its uncontrolled elements (look closely at one or two works to see a few insects still embedded in the paint.) Works from longtime Kamloops landscape painters Lloyd Bennett and Terry Thompson are also on display. An all-ages gallery reception runs May 31 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the TRU Visual Arts Gallery in the Old Main Building.

FUN FLY
May 26 to May 28 at Tolko Field in Heffley Creek
The Kamloops model airplane Society presents its annual Fun Fly. For those who follow GPS co-ordinates, it is at 50.840659, -120.268261 but there will be signs on the highway directing people. A swap meet with RC planes and parts will be held on Saturday. For more, email Andy Prodaniuk at approdaniuk@shaw.ca or call 250-318-4576.

ALBUM RELEASE SHOW
Friday, May 26, doors at 7 p.m., music at 8 p.m. at Pavilion Theatre, 1025 Lorne St.
Echo Beach is hosting an EP release show for its debut album. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased from Kamloops Live box office, 1025 Lorne St., 250-374-5483 or kamloopslive.ca.

COUNTRY-FOLK SINGER
Saturday, May 27 at

Article source: https://www.kamloopsthisweek.com/local-events-may-26-june-1/

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Columbia’s Last Flight

Posted on May 26, 2017 by Writer

O’Keefe had a master’s degree in public administration, but he disagreed. It was odd. He had not been with the agency long enough to be infected by its insularity, and as he later promised Congress, he was willing—no, eager—to identify and punish any of his NASA subordinates who could be held responsible for the accident. Nonetheless, he decided to defy Gehman, and he announced that his people would remain in place. It was an ill-considered move. Gehman simply went public with his letter, posting it on the caib Web site. Gehman understood that O’Keefe felt betrayed—”stabbed in the back” was the word going around—but NASA had left him no choice. O’Keefe surrendered. Ham and the others were reassigned, and the Mishap Investigation Team was disbanded, replaced by NASA staffers who had not been involved in the Columbia’s flight and would be more likely to cooperate with the caib’s investigators. The board was never able to overcome completely the whiff of collusion that had accompanied its birth, but Gehman had won a significant fight, even if it meant that he and “Sean” would not be friends.

The space shuttle is the most audacious flying machine ever built, an engineering fantasy made real. Before each flight it stands vertically on the launch pad at the Kennedy Space Center, as the core component of a rocket assembly 184 feet tall. The shuttle itself, which is also known as the orbiter, is a winged vehicle roughly the size of a DC-9, with three

Article source: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2003/11/columbias-last-flight/304204/

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Appeals court says FAA cannot force drone owners to register with government

Posted on May 25, 2017 by Writer

The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals slapped down part of a Federal Aviation Administration rule that required operators of drones and model planes to register with the agency.

The federal appeals court said the agency exceeded its authority when it said the rule extended to recreational drone operators.

“The FAA’s 2015 Registration Rule, which applies to model aircraft, directly violates [a] clear statutory prohibition. We therefore grant [the] petition and vacate the Registration Rule to the extent it applies to model aircraft,” a three-judge panel ruled Friday.

The rule was part of a broader effort by the government to establish laws and regulations governing the use of unmanned aerial systems, which are more commonly called drones. The 2015 rulemaking was done in response to the FAA Modernization and Reform Act, which Congress passed in 2012.

The agency indicated that it might appeal the order.

“We are carefully reviewing the U.S. Court of Appeals decision as it relates to drone registrations. The FAA put registration and operational regulations in place to ensure that drones are operated in a way that is safe and does not pose security and privacy threats. We are in the process of considering our options and response to the decision,” the FAA said in a statement to the Washington Examiner.

Business groups involved in the commercial use of drones had supported the FAA’s rulemaking. They argued that the agency needed to have broad regulatory authority.

“The viability and growth of the UAS industry is contingent on the safe and responsible integration of UAS

Article source: http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/appeals-court-says-faa-cannot-force-drone-owners-to-register-with-government/article/2623668

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Now Calling For Early Boarding For Airline Investments

Posted on May 25, 2017 by Writer

Pixabay

The airline industry has not always been the trendiest segment to invest in. But even with a history of a volatile fuel market, a tendency for companies within it to sluggishly adopt new technologies, and astronomical operational costs, new investment is being encouraged. And with this investment drive comes a range of opportunities: some with more longer-lasting effects than others.

It’s been 14 years since the roar of the Concorde screamed across the skies. In 2003, the last commercial supersonic jet made its final flight. But the lure of making a transatlantic flight in half the time it takes a conventional airplane has sat dormant too long. It currently takes about 8 hours to go from New York to London. One company wants to reignite these turbojets and offer trips in 3 ½ hours’ time — half that of a subsonic jet.

The company Boom Supersonic thinks it has what it takes to make the next supersonic airliner. And with its fundraiser efforts reaching $33 million, a 1/3-scale prototype titled the XB-1 demonstration and testing craft can be built. Boom flights are expected to cost $2,500 for a one-way flight. But Boom seeks to cater to a rather narrow segment of the air travel customer base.

Put Your Money Where It Goes Boom

The money raised thus far is expected to cover initial

Article source: http://www.forbes.com/sites/brianrashid/2017/05/20/now-calling-for-early-boarding-for-airline-investments/

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Unions and Their “Worker Centers” Behind a $15 an Hour Minimum Wage

Posted on May 25, 2017 by Writer

Summary: It began on the fringes of union activism. In just a few years, the campaign for a $15 an hour federal minimum wage—armed with the slogan “Fight for $15!”—has gone mainstream. And should this union-driven movement succeed, the result could be a lot of frustrated job seekers and shuttered businesses.

By the end of last year, about 30 state and local jurisdictions had enacted laws phasing in a $15 an hour minimum wage either for all employees public and private, or just for those in the public sector. These jurisdictions include the states of New York and California, the cities of Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Milwaukee, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Washington, D.C., and Greensboro, NC; smaller municipalities such as Emeryville and Mountain View, CA, Milwaukie, OR, Missoula, MT, San Marcos, TX and SeaTac, WA; and various counties, including Los Angeles County. For good measure, the University of California System and University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, among other institutions of higher education, have also decided to phase in a $15 an hour minimum wage.

Appealing to the base

Fight for $15 supporters are, if nothing else, vocal about their displeasure over the current federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour, established in 2009.

No one is more vehement on this topic than Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who became a national figure in the 2016 presidential elections. Back in July 2015, Sen. Sanders introduced a bill, the “Pay Workers a Living Wage Act” (S.1832), that would phase in a $15 an hour minimum

Article source: https://capitalresearch.org/article/unions-and-their-worker-centers-behind-a-15-an-hour-minimum-wage/

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