Latest news with #Sagan
Los Angeles Times
5 days ago
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
Huntington Beach religious leaders host interfaith prayer vigil at Central Park
Greater Huntington Beach Interfaith Council President Jynene Johnson told her family that she knew Monday evening's interfaith prayer vigil would be a success. 'If 10 people come, or 100, it's a win,' Johnson said. 'We are showing that we're doing something. We're going to stand together no matter what.' A number much closer to the latter figure than the former showed up at the Central Park Amphitheater in Huntington Beach for the vigil, hosted by the Interfaith Council, to hear prayers and words of encouragement from religious leaders around the area. Strife has not been in short supply lately. Huntington Beach held a contentious election that wrapped up last week, days before thousands converged on the pier and other Orange County locales for a 'No Kings' rally. The region has also seen Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids recently, while internationally, Israel and Iran escalate attacks. 'We do a lot of interfaith gatherings, and we do the good times and the bad times,' said Cantor Jenna Sagan of the Jewish Congregation B'nai Tzedek in Fountain Valley, an Interfaith Council board member. 'You can't just come together on Thanksgiving and to bless the waves. You also have to come together when there are times when we're hurting. When we're hurting, we have to be in community, so this was really special for that.' Sagan led the crowd in a singing of a popular Jewish tune, with words that felt prescient. 'Don't walk in front of me, I may not follow,' the song goes. 'Don't walk behind me, I may not lead. Just walk beside me and be my friend, and together we will walk in the ways of HaShem.' Sagan's 8-year-old daughter, Lianna, later read a short poem of peace. Mark Currie of the local Baha'i community led a prayer of togetherness. Bishop Kurt Rieck of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who represents a Latino community in northern Huntington Beach and Westminster, told vigil attendees that now was a time to remember things that we have in common. 'As a young man, I lived in Mexico for a few years,' Rieck said. 'Growing up in Irvine, a privileged background, I arrived in Mexico thinking I was perhaps better than those around me because of the resources and education available to me coming from this country. Since then, I have been humbled. I have learned that it's not about the resources that we have that defines our value, but rather how we use the resources that we do have to bring joy and peace to those around us.' Maneck Bhujwala of the Zoroastrian community, Pastor James Pike of Lutheran Church of the Resurrection, Emrah Erduran of the Muslim community and Pastor George Hooper of Community United Methodist Church of Huntington Beach also shared remarks and prayers. Johnson also gave attendees a chance to pray together. 'I'd like you to specifically think of how you can generate more peace, how you can lay down a weapon and be more kind, more giving,' she said. 'Even if it's just using your blinker better when you drive.' Conversations sprung up after the hour-long vigil. 'If we would just do unto others as we would have others do unto us, we would be in fine shape,' remarked prayer vigil attendee Kay Goddard after the ceremony. Added Hooper: 'But today, that's been turned into, do unto others before they do unto you. Do unto others as you're afraid they'll do unto you.' Goddard nodded in agreement. 'It's being warped,' she said.
San Francisco Chronicle
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
Review: Disney, Pixar's ‘Elio' channels '80s nostalgia and science in new adventure
Elio, the cheeky moppet at the center of Pixar's latest animated confection, could have been inspired by any child of the 1980s. Astronomer Carl Sagan is his muse, and as he peers at the stars through his telescope he dreams of faraway places and wonders if we are alone in the universe. We are not. At least not in ' Elio,' in which a grieving, lonely boy improbably becomes Earth's representative in a galactic dispute. The movie's '80s vibe extends beyond references to Sagan, the planetary scientist whose PBS limited series 'Cosmos' became a phenomenon, back when the national public broadcaster was fully funded and not a target in the culture wars. In fact, 'Elio' would fit perfectly on the Blockbuster shelf (if the video rental chain was still around) next to other '80s kid-powered movies such as 'The Goonies,' 'Explorers' and of course 'E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.' The title of the animated film itself is a nod to that era, with screenwriters Julia Cho, Mark Hammer and Mike Jones naming Elio afterElliott, the boy played by Henry Thomas in Steven Spielberg's classic. When the movie opens, Elio (voiced with depth and sensitivity by Yonas Kibreab) is mourning the recent deaths of his parents. He is taken in by his Aunt Olga (Zoe Saldaña), who is in the U.S. Air Force Space Command tracking junk debris in space. But Olga finds Elio to be a handful, and the boy feels lost and alone. His imagination is sparked by a planetarium show about the Voyager space probe, with narration by Sagan, and begins to long to be abducted by aliens. He spends hours on the beach drawing messages in the sand that he hopes the aliens will see. One evening while on the base with his aunt, Elio overhears one of the technicians say he thinks he has intercepted an alien transmission. The boy sneaks into the command center and contacts the aliens, and soon he is transported across the galaxy to a place called the Communiverse that seems like a Mad magazine parody of ' Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace.' Elio is mistaken as the leader of Earth, and tries to mediate a dispute between the war-like Lord Grigon (Brad Garrett) and the population of the Communiverse while simultaneously striking up a friendship with the lord's son Glordon (Remy Edgerly). Directed by the Oscar-winning Domee Shi (' Turning Red '), Alameda native Madeline Sharafian and Adrian Molina (' Coco '), the visually appealing 'Elio' moves confidently and delicately handles themes of isolation, grief, family strife and friendship. And Sagan provides the coda, so it's not just the children in the audience who are transported to another time and place, but the adults as well.
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Here are 10 NASA missions that could be grounded under Trump's 2026 budget
Missions across the final frontier could die as a result of the proposed cuts to NASA's budget made by President Donald Trump, the Washington Post reported Sunday. In his fiscal year 2026 budget request made on May 30, Trump proposed cutting NASA's science funding by 53%, the newspaper reported. NASA receives over $7 billion a year, but Trump's budget request lowers that to $3.9 billion to '[support] a leaner, more focused science program that reflects the administration's commitment to fiscal responsibility,' according to the budget proposal. Trump submitted the proposal to Congress, where it awaits approval. The request, 'if approved by Congress, would kill many of NASA's plans for robotic exploration of the solar system,' the Post explained. 'Gone, too, would be multiple space-based missions to study Earth, the sun and the rest of the universe.' The Planetary Society, an advocacy group supportive of science education and space exploration, founded by astronomer Carl Sagan and led by Bill Nye 'the Science Guy,' called the budget 'a retreat, a narrowing of ambition.' 'This request represents the smallest NASA budget since FY 1961 — a level enacted before the first American had launched into space,' according to the organization in a statement on May 30. 'Unlike that era of growth, high ambition and bold vision, this budget revels in the opposite: what the nation cannot do." The cuts could impact 41 current and future missions, which make up one-third of NASA's space exploration portfolio, the Post reported. Of these missions, here are 10 that could be affected by Trump's budget proposal: Venus Emissivity, Radio Science, InSAR, Topography and Spectroscopy (VERITAS) probe The VERITAS probe is anticipated to be launched no later than 2031 to explore the second planet in the solar system and Earth's 'twin,' Venus, according to NASA. 'Veritas will discover the secrets of a lost habitable world, gathering data to reveal how the paths of Venus and Earth diverged,' the space agency stated. Deep Atmosphere Venus Investigation of Noble gases, Chemistry and Imaging (DAVINCI) spacecraft Like VERITAS, the DAVINCI spacecraft is also set to study Venus following its tentative launch in 2030, NASA stated. It will explore the planet's poisonous clouds and conduct both a flyby observation of the planet and a probe that will land on its surface. Voyager 1 and 2 Two twin spacecraft launched in 1977 to study the outer solar system are expected to see cuts that were already expected to happen, the Post reported. This was inevitable due to the probes' diminished power source: the radioactive decay of plutonium-238. Sagan was also involved in the prep work on the Voyager spacecrafts. Along with a golden disc carrying recordings from Earth in case extraterrestrial life found the probes, Sagan requested that Voyager 1 photograph Earth once it reached the outer solar system. By 1990, the probe photographed Earth — represented by a small pinpoint of light — in the famed photo referred to as the 'Pale Blue Dot.' Trump's proposed cuts would lower Voyager's funding from $7.8 million to $5 million in 2026, eventually until it reaches zero in 2029. Chandra X-ray Observatory Named after astrophysicist Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, the Chandra X-ray Observatory's funding would go from $69 million to zero if Trump's cuts are approved. The observatory itself is NASA's most powerful X-ray telescope and 'has eight times greater resolution and is able to detect sources more than 20 times fainter than any previous X-ray telescope,' the agency stated. Rosalind Franklin rover's Mars Organic Molecule Analyser (MOMA) A rover that is expected to be launched to the Red Planet, Mars, in 2028. The rover is operated by the European Space Agency through its astrobiology program, but is partnered with NASA. Aboard the rover is the MOMA, which will study organic compounds in the Martian soil, according to the ESA. Polarized Submillimeter Ice-cloud Radiometer (PoLSIR) Rather than study deep space, this mission consists of two small satellites orbiting Earth to 'help humanity better understand Earth's dynamic atmosphere and its impact on climate by studying ice clouds that form at high altitudes throughout tropical and sub-tropical regions.' Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification and Security-Apophis Explorer (OSIRIS-APEX) The OSIRIS-APEX space mission continues the work of past OSIRIS probes that study asteroids and their passages near Earth, according to NASA. This latest mission aims to study the asteroid Apophis when it passes close to Earth around June 2029 to see how the planet's gravity affects it. 'If funding is terminated, as Trump proposes, the spacecraft will circle the sun indefinitely without yielding any science,' the Post reported. Mars Sample Return Also overseen by NASA and ESA, this 'multi-mission campaign ... would bring carefully selected Martian samples to Earth for the first time,' NASA stated. These samples would 'revolutionize our understanding of Mars, our solar system and prepare for human explorers to the Red Planet,' the American space agency added. The mission has been repeatedly delayed due to cost issues and technical issues, the Post reported. Trump's proposal would provide no funding for it Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) Another NASA and ESA partnership, this joint mission is intended to study gravitational waves and ripples in the fabric of space-time emitted by black holes when they collide, according to ESA. The mission is comprised of an observatory that would be launched into space in 2035 and then orbit around Earth. Trump's answer to the mission through the budget request: NASA would no longer be involved in the mission. Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) orbiter Since it was launched in 2014, the MAVEN mission also studies Mars by taking a look at how much of the planet's atmosphere has been lost over time, NASA stated. Trump's proposal would cut the mission's funding, leaving the probe to circle the Red Planet and not produce any science, the Post wrote. Eventually, it would crash down on Mars. 'The cancellation of ongoing Mars missions and Mars Sample Return eliminates major efforts to understand the environmental conditions that astronauts will face, to understand Mars as a planet and to prepare the science for human missions,' Bruce Jakosky, a senior scientist at the University of Colorado, told the Post. Selfie on Mars? Here's how NASA caught a new glimpse of the Martian surface New research says our universe only has a quinvigintillion years left, so make 'em good ones Video: Erupting volcanoes cause 'dancing' light show in space Massive solar flare erupts, causing radio blackouts across Earth Where will failed '70s Soviet probe land after it crashes back to Earth? Nobody knows Read the original article on MassLive.
Economic Times
09-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Economic Times
'What a magical thing that is': Carl Sagan's wise words on reading books are the fresh breeze we need amid digital brain rot
A resurfaced 1977 Carl Sagan clip warns against intellectual decline, a vital message today as "brain rot" proliferates. Sagan championed reading as a magical connection to past minds and stressed nurturing childhood curiosity. (Images: X/@carlsagandotcom , iStock) A resurfaced video of legendary astronomer Carl Sagan from a 1977 appearance on The Tonight Show is sparking crucial conversations, offering profound insights amidst widespread concerns about dwindling attention spans and the pervasive "brain rot" of the digital era. As screens dominate and algorithms dictate our daily lives, Sagan's wise words on the sheer power of reading books and nurturing curious minds feel less like a relic of the past and more like an urgent plea for our intellectual the captivating 1977 clip, Sagan, a master communicator of science, articulated the almost unbelievable power held within a book. "The whole idea of what happens when you read a book I find absolutely stunning," he told Johnny Carson. He marveled at how "some product of a tree with little black squiggles on it" could open up, revealing "the voice of someone speaking who may have been dead 3,000 years, and yet there he is talking directly to you. What a magical thing that is." This timeless connection through the written word, a direct link to minds across centuries, stands in stark contrast to the fleeting nature of digital content. Sagan didn't stop at the magic of books; he delved into the inherent curiosity of children, a vital "natural resource" he believed we are tragically wasting. He observed that children "start out eager, intellectually wide-eyed, asking extremely clever questions." Yet, he lamented, "something happens, by and large, to discourage them."He highlighted how dismissive responses to profound questions, like "Mommy, why is the grass green?", teach children "there's something bad about using the mind." Sagan warned that in perilous times, facing "complex and subtle problems" requires individuals capable of "complex and subtle solutions"—a capacity nurtured through intellectual engagement and curiosity. Sagan's 1977 observations are eerily prescient today. The Oxford 2024 Word of the Year, "brain rot," encapsulates widespread anxiety about declining attention spans. Data from Gallup and the Bureau of Labor Statistics show a steady decline in American reading habits. In a conversation on NPR, author Elaine Castillo noted that "massive corporations have essentially captured the capacities in us for reading," offering "momentary dopamine hits" that replace reading's restorative aspects. Abdullah Shihipar of Brown University added that reading a book requires a higher "mental load" than casual scrolling, and studies suggest reading physical media is "superior" to screen reading, which often encourages skimming. The education sector sounds a loud alarm. A former English and digital arts teacher, Hannah, recently resigned with a viral video, lamenting that "a lot of kids don't know how to read," and that AI tools are eroding critical thinking. She witnessed students unable to write basic sentences, and essays produced entirely by ChatGPT, with students showing little concern over plagiarism. Hannah's drastic suggestion: "We need to cut it off. Let them learn how to think again."Abdullah Shihipar, in an NPR conversation, cited a Duke study showing a 12% decline in reading comprehension when AI tools were used. Elaine Castillo articulated a deeper fear: that we might "abdicate our own humanity and our capacity to read, to contemplate, to wrestle with difficult concepts." She emphasized reading's role in building empathy and fostering a "capacity for defiance." The statistics are stark: roughly half of American adults read below a sixth-grade level. Beyond cognitive benefits, reading boasts tangible health advantages; Shihipar mentioned a study indicating a 20% decrease in mortality for book readers, independent of wealth or age. Carl Sagan's powerful message from decades ago offers a vital path forward. His emphasis on the magic of books and the nurturing of intellectual curiosity is not just nostalgic; it's a strategic blueprint for preserving our minds, our empathy, and our ability to navigate the complexities of our world. It's time to heed his timeless wisdom.
Time of India
09-06-2025
- Science
- Time of India
'What a magical thing that is': Carl Sagan's wise words on reading books are the fresh breeze we need amid digital brain rot
A resurfaced video of legendary astronomer Carl Sagan from a 1977 appearance on The Tonight Show is sparking crucial conversations, offering profound insights amidst widespread concerns about dwindling attention spans and the pervasive " brain rot " of the digital era. As screens dominate and algorithms dictate our daily lives, Sagan's wise words on the sheer power of reading books and nurturing curious minds feel less like a relic of the past and more like an urgent plea for our intellectual survival. The Unseen Magic of Books In the captivating 1977 clip, Sagan, a master communicator of science, articulated the almost unbelievable power held within a book. "The whole idea of what happens when you read a book I find absolutely stunning," he told Johnny Carson. He marveled at how "some product of a tree with little black squiggles on it" could open up, revealing "the voice of someone speaking who may have been dead 3,000 years, and yet there he is talking directly to you. What a magical thing that is." This timeless connection through the written word, a direct link to minds across centuries, stands in stark contrast to the fleeting nature of digital content. Nurturing Curiosity: A Crucial Investment Sagan didn't stop at the magic of books; he delved into the inherent curiosity of children, a vital "natural resource" he believed we are tragically wasting. He observed that children "start out eager, intellectually wide-eyed, asking extremely clever questions." Yet, he lamented, "something happens, by and large, to discourage them." by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Help abandoned elders today HelpAge India Donate Now Undo He highlighted how dismissive responses to profound questions, like "Mommy, why is the grass green?", teach children "there's something bad about using the mind." Sagan warned that in perilous times, facing "complex and subtle problems" requires individuals capable of "complex and subtle solutions"—a capacity nurtured through intellectual engagement and curiosity. The Digital Threat: From Doomscrolling to AI Apathy Sagan's 1977 observations are eerily prescient today. The Oxford 2024 Word of the Year, "brain rot," encapsulates widespread anxiety about declining attention spans. Data from Gallup and the Bureau of Labor Statistics show a steady decline in American reading habits. In a conversation on NPR, author Elaine Castillo noted that "massive corporations have essentially captured the capacities in us for reading," offering "momentary dopamine hits" that replace reading's restorative aspects. Abdullah Shihipar of Brown University added that reading a book requires a higher "mental load" than casual scrolling, and studies suggest reading physical media is "superior" to screen reading, which often encourages skimming. You Might Also Like: How 'doomscrolling' before bed is wrecking your health? New study confirms our fears The education sector sounds a loud alarm. A former English and digital arts teacher, Hannah, recently resigned with a viral video, lamenting that "a lot of kids don't know how to read," and that AI tools are eroding critical thinking. She witnessed students unable to write basic sentences, and essays produced entirely by ChatGPT, with students showing little concern over plagiarism. Hannah's drastic suggestion: "We need to cut it off. Let them learn how to think again." Abdullah Shihipar, in an NPR conversation, cited a Duke study showing a 12% decline in reading comprehension when AI tools were used. Elaine Castillo articulated a deeper fear: that we might "abdicate our own humanity and our capacity to read, to contemplate, to wrestle with difficult concepts." She emphasized reading's role in building empathy and fostering a "capacity for defiance." A Call to Reclaim Our Minds The statistics are stark: roughly half of American adults read below a sixth-grade level. Beyond cognitive benefits, reading boasts tangible health advantages; Shihipar mentioned a study indicating a 20% decrease in mortality for book readers, independent of wealth or age. Carl Sagan's powerful message from decades ago offers a vital path forward. His emphasis on the magic of books and the nurturing of intellectual curiosity is not just nostalgic; it's a strategic blueprint for preserving our minds, our empathy, and our ability to navigate the complexities of our world. It's time to heed his timeless wisdom. You Might Also Like: Teacher quits after 3 years with chilling warning about AI: 'Tech is destroying our kids… They can't read or think anymore' You Might Also Like: When you suffer huge stock market losses, Warren Buffett suggests reading his favourite poem
