Galactic Views (43)

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SPACE WATCH

The Pinwheel Galaxy
NASA – This image of the Pinwheel Galaxy, also known as M101, combines data in the infrared, visible, ultraviolet and X-rays from four of NASA’s space-based telescopes. This multi-spectral view shows that both young and old stars are evenly distributed along M101′s tightly-wound spiral arms. Such composite images allow astronomers to see how features in one part of the spectrum match up with those seen in other parts. It is like seeing with a regular camera, an ultraviolet camera, night-vision goggles and X-ray vision, all at the same time.

The Pinwheel Galaxy is in the constellation of Ursa Major (also known as the Big Dipper). It is about 70 percent larger than our own Milky Way Galaxy, with a diameter of about 170,000 light years, and sits at a distance of 21 million light years from Earth. This means that the light we’re seeing in this image left the Pinwheel Galaxy about 21 million years ago – many millions of years before humans ever walked the Earth. Image Credits: X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO; IR & UV: NASA/JPL-Caltech; Optical: NASA/STScI

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Mitt Romney’s nomination marks milestone for Mormon faith

By Sandhya Somashekhar and Jason Horowitz – America quietly observed a major milestone in its history Tuesday (May 29, 2012) when Mitt Romney became the first Mormon presidential nominee of a major political party.

But whether they want to call attention to it or not, Romney’s achievement is historic. Nearly 200 years after the founding of Mormonism by Joseph Smith, who himself ran for president to call attention to his flock’s persecution, Romney’s nomination signals how far his faith, and the country’s acceptance of it, has come.

“If you look at it in a historical perspective, it’s absolutely incredible,” said Richard Lyman Bushman, a leading Mormon scholar and longtime acquaintance of Romney’s. “A century-and-a-half ago, Mormons were detested as a people as well as a religion.” more> http://tinyurl.com/7k88z3m

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Why Spain Is Officially Europe’s Biggest Crisis

By Matthew O’Brien – Spain has a problem. It’s running out of money.

More precisely, it’s running out of euros. It can’t print them. It can’t borrow them, except at ruinous rates.

A bit of background. Spain was, as Paul Krugman colorfully put it, the Florida of Europe. It had a prodigious housing bubble that has subsequently gone into reverse. But that’s where the similarities end. Spain is on its own. Florida isn’t. Remember, Florida doesn’t pay for its social insurance spending or bank bailouts. The federal government does. Social Security checks keep coming and the FDIC keeps taking over failing banks regardless of the state of Florida’s finances. Spain doesn’t have that safety net. That’s how you get 25 percent overall unemployment and over 50 percent youth unemployment. more> http://tinyurl.com/7on9xk3

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Copper-nickel nanowires could be perfect fit for printable electronics

R&D Mag – Duke University chemists created a new set of flexible, electrically conductive nanowires from thin strands of copper atoms mixed with nickel. The copper-nickel nanowires, in the form of a film, conduct electricity even under conditions that break down the transfer of electrons in plain silver and copper nanowires, a new study shows.

Because films made with copper-nickel nanowires are stable and are relatively inexpensive to create, they are an attractive option to use in printed electronics, products like electronic paper, smart packaging, and interactive clothing, said Benjamin Wiley, an assistant professor of chemistry at Duke. His team describes the new nanowires in a NanoLetters. more> http://tinyurl.com/bmv4p2n

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IMF’s Christine Lagarde: ‘I Don’t Pay Taxes, But You Should’

By Robert W. Wood – IMF chief Christine Lagarde suggested in an interview with UK’s Guardian that the Greeks should pay their taxes. It turns out Ms. Lagarde–legitimately–doesn’t pay them herself.

No taxes is the norm for most United Nations employees covered by a convention on diplomatic relations signed by most nations. If you look at salaries, those working for the IMF, World Bank, and United Nations can stretch their dollars.

Of course, Americans face famously complicated tax rules including worldwide reporting. See Expats Lobby For Tax on Residence, Not Worldwide Income. more> http://tinyurl.com/brwxc4x

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