Category Archives: Progress

"School parades in Tell Aviv [Tel Aviv] in honor of Lord Balfour, 1925. (Photo: Library of Congress)

Before there were Israelis, there were Zionists and Zionism. Heirs of the project are living out the literal foreignness of the Zionist nationalityoverlaid on the human Palestine map.

The secular, Ashkenazi theoreticians of the pre-state Zionist movement contrast with their progeny, Naftali Bennett and hilltop youth, Hebrew-speaking religious Zealots, looking to cast adrift from the democratic tradition in favor of an atavistic Jewish kingdom.

Its a wise child that knows his own father. The state of mind of Israeli Zionists is now such that they feel Zionists of the wider world are alien to them.

Equal suffrage is obviously inadvisable in so backward a civilization as that of the Arab

So pioneer American Zionist, Jerusalem Post founder and future Tel Aviv Mayor Gershon Agronsky (later Agron) observed in a 1927 report on Jewish reclamation of Mandate Palestine.

The occasion of Agronskys report was an extraordinary international conference -under United States sponsorship, improbably enough in Honolulu in 1927, The First Pan Pacific Conference on Education, Rehabilitation, Reclamation and Recreation.

(Presumably, Mandate Palestines touching of the Gulf of Aqaba made it a territory of the Pacific.)

Royal Hawaiian Hotel, Waikiki. (Photo: Lantern slide/The University of Hawaii at Manoa Libraries)

That conference, which opened at the newly built landmark Royal Hawaiian Hotel, gives us a view of the times, and a valuable picture of the role that advanced nations were seen to play in the lives of the native.

For Agronsky, personally attending the conference was an occasion to share the story of Zionist settlement of Palestine, with steady advances in dunums irrigated and number of Jewish schools and hamlets.

For appointed Hawaii Territorial Governor Wallace R. Farrington and the Japan government representativesin their lights advanced partiesit was an opportunity to discuss indicators of progress for indigenous Hawaiians and Koreans.

The Japanese proudly reported improved education and rice production since the 1911 annexation of Korea by Japan, and the Hawaii Territorial government representatives described the efforts to educate and set native Hawaiians in homes on land in trust for them.

For Agronsky, the Jewish Agency representative, his theme was Jewish Reclamation of Palestine, and mention of non-Jews in Palestine was less than secondary.

In the pioneering pre-state period, a portion of the Zionist intelligentsiapersonified by Judah Magnesunderstood the danger of what was being constructed.

Jewish settlement-building followed Ben-Gurions principles of Jewish self-sufficiency and Hebrew Labor, and had the effect of building two societies at odds with each other.

Herzlian philosophy was that Jewsin the main Jews of Eastern Europewould become a normal people by doing all the functions that a people do, such as tilling the soil, in a Jewish land.

Jewish agriculture is the base for the reconstruction of Palestine, and a Jewish peasantry the foundation of a new Jewish Commonwealth, said D. Arthur Ruppin, a Zionist presence in Palestine since the First Aliyah.

To the Zionist pioneers, this meant minimizing interdependence with non-Jewish Palestinians. There was an unavoidable European sense of superiority.

In a February 1918 American Jewish Committee board meeting, AJC board member Cyrus Adler illustrated the all-too-frequent contempt for Arabs that poisoned foreign plans for Palestine, when he observed that, to him,

Itis difficult to imagine how Jews, who have lived in the great world, in the great modern cities of Europe and America, and who should go back to Palestine, could take a place side by side with the Arabs who are 2,000 or 3,000 years behind the Jews in civilization.

That FebruarycommentisechoedinaMay1918letterfromChaim Weizmann in Tel Aviv-Jaffa to British Foreign Secretary ArthurBalfour, complaining that British administrators of Palestine were ignoring the

fundamentalqualitativedifference between Jew and Arab.The present system tends on the contrary to level down the Jews to the status of a native, and in many cases the English Administrator follows the convenient rule of looking on the Jews as so many natives.

Weizmann was pointing out the special status that Jews were to have in Mandate Palestine, as living in their intended homeland by a right and not on sufferance, as Colonial Secretary Winston Churchill put it in 1922.

(In a theme that recurs in discussions of Zionism, Churchill said in 1920, The struggle between the Zionist and Bolshevik Jews is little less than a struggle for the soul of the Jewish people. In this case, redeeming the land is saving the Jews for the good of the nations.)

In the periods of Zionist settlement in Palestine before statehood, the management and force of the Zionist movement was from the technological, advanced, European world.

When waves of Mizrahi (eastern/Arab Jewish) olim arrived in Israel, in the trauma to the Arab world of the partition of Palestine, the civilizing mission was felt by the arriving backward Arab Jews, the Mizrahim, in contempt and tutelage.

The Mizrahim experienced the phenomena of children stolen for adoption, and forced Western education, as experienced by Aboriginal Australians and North American First Peoples.

Arabs do appear in Israeli self-conception when convenient. Constitutional and human rights lawyer Mazen Mazri comments that in Israels May 1948 Declaration of Independence, In the tradition of thecivilising mission, the settlers also brought the blessings of progress to all the countrys inhabitants. The motifs of immigration, settlement, building and benefits for the other inhabitants reverberate throughout the Declaration.

Crucially, the Jewish nation that was created was based on the idea of separation from other inhabitants of Palestine in culture, language, labor, and economy. Even when geography and demographics did not support it, the notion of a separate Jewish society was essential to the political Zionist conception of returning to Palestine.

Now, in really what should be noted is a short time, an Israeli nationality exists fully formed, with ananthem and a founding origin story. Its culture has very much its Mizrahi component a fact of Arabness with little acknowledgment. Even public speaking of Arabic is a suspect activity threatening societal status and personal safety.

We approach the 100th anniversary of the November 1917 Balfour Declaration, the British Foreign Secretarys expression of support for a Jewish homeland in Palestine.

New York Herald, Dec. 11, 1917; Gen. Allenby entering Jerusalem, Dec. 11, 1917. (Photo: Library of Congress)

It will be interesting to see how and whether the Israeli nationality endures. Ministers now in power openly tout Arab expulsion plans. Likud eminence Israeli President Reuven Rivlin is proposing a radical rethinking of the occupation, with Israel taking Arabs in as citizens along with the land it covets.

From the time of the November 1947 UN General Assembly vote in Palestine, sectarian Jewish militias began the removal of the half of the residents of the proposed Jewish state, and land beyond, who were not Jews, beginning the Nakba (catastrophe).

It is frequently asked whether, if the Jewish return to Palestine had been conducted in a different spirit, the situation would have developed as poisonously.

It may not have made a difference. As the whites in Hawaii could not accept being equal citizens in a Kingdom of Hawaii ruled in part by native Hawaiians, would the emigrating Jews have accepted the same with Arabs of Palestine?

The doctrines of Zionist state-building and Jewish self-sufficiency argued against that, and waves of new immigrants from Europe who imagined, to repeat Cyrus Adler, Arabs 2,000 or 3,000 years behind the Jews in civilization.

Now, central to many Jewish Israelis is the belief that they are home. Literally, permitting citizenship of Arabs remaining in Israel is seen as an example of Zionist magnanimityor, as Israeli New Historian Benny Morris expressed it, failure to finish the job of expulsion.

This article was originally published on Feb. 17, 2017by the LA Progressive here.

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Natives and the blessings of progress - Mondoweiss

WATCH THE LATEST VIDEOS FROM THE DIAMONDBACKS AND THE MLBShot Clock: Magic's new role; MLB rules changes | 2:10

azcentral sports' Mark Faller and Dan Bickley discuss Magic Johnson's role with the Lakers, trade talk around the NBA ahead of tomorrow's deadline and potential MLB rule changes on Wednesday's Shot Clock.

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MLB commissioner Rob Manfred spoke about his frustration with the MLBPA, which he said rebuffed the leagues efforts to make any of a number of rules changes at Tuesday's Cactus League Media Day at the Biltmore. Thomas Hawthorne/azcentral sports

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The Diamondbacks' Ken Kendrick discusses the team's lawsuit with the Maricopa County Stadium District over over Chase Field maintenance costs at spring-training camp on Friday.

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Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo discusses star first baseman Paul Goldschmidt and his new team's foundation at Cactus League Media Day at the Arizona Biltmore on Tuesday. Thomas Hawthorne/azcentral sports

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The Diamondbacks had their photos taken on Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2017 at Salt River Fields.

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Cubs manager Joe Maddon discusses how difficult it is to win back-to-back championships in the MLB on Tuesday at Cactus League Media Day at the Arizona Biltmore on Tuesday. Thomas Hawthorne/azcentral sports

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Cubs manager Joe Maddon discusses how to prepare for this season in regards to overworking and injuries after last season's championship run at Cactus League Media Day at the Arizona Biltmore on Tuesday. Thomas Hawthorne/azcentral sports

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The Arizona Diamondbacks hosted fans to celebrate the start of spring training and the 2017 season at D-Backs Fan Fest at Salt River Fields on Monday. Hannah Gaber/azcentral.com

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Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo talks about his first meeting with the whole team and what the team's Saturday plans will be if it rains at spring training. Video: Rob Schumacher/azcentral sports

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Diamondbacks closer Fernando Rodney tosses a bullpen session at Salt River Fields.

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USA TODAY Sports released its annual list of players to watch for in the upcoming season. USA TODAY Sports

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There are several MLB teams looking for new stadiums, while at least two are happy with their old-school dwellings. USA TODAY Sports

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Arizona Diamondbacks infielder Jake Lamb talks about their new manager, front office and players at spring training camp. Rob Schumacher/azcentral sports

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Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo discusses pitcher Shelby Miller at spring training on Feb. 16, 2017. Video: Rob Schumacher/azcentral sports

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azcentral sports' Dan Bickley and Jay Dieffenbach react to Mark Grace returning to the air for the Diamondbacks and discuss if team could consider trading Paul Goldschmidt or Zack Greinke.

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Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Zack Greinke discusses his performance last season at Salt River Fields on Wednesday. By Rob Schumacher/azcentral sports

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Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo discusses Zack Greinke's first bullpen at spring training on Wednesday at Salt River Fields. By Rob Schumacher/azcentral sports

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Diamondbacks right-hander Taijuan Walker throws his first official bullpen session of spring training at Salt River Fields on Tuesday. Nick Piecoro/azcentral sports

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Diamondbacks pitcher Shelby Miller tosses his first bullpen of the spring at Salt River Fields on Tuesday. Nick Piecoro/azcentral sports

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Ron Gardenhire, Arizona Diamondbacks bench coach, annouced on Tuesday that he was diagnosed with prostate cancer at the team's spring training complex at Salt River Fields. Manager Torey Lovullo also spoke. Video: Rob Schumacher/azcentral sports

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Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo on what he sees in his team and pitcher Shelby Miller heading into the first days of spring training at Salt River Fields. Rob Schumacher/azcentral sports

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D-Backs pitcher Archie Bradley, sporting facial hair that he has not shaved since October 31st, reports to spring training camp in Scottsdale. (Rob Schumacher/azcentral sports)

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D-Backs skipper Torey Lovullo press conference at spring training camp in Scottsdale. (Rob Schumacher/azcentral sports)

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D-Backs pitcher Patrick Corbin reports to spring training camp in Scottsdale. (Rob Schumacher/azcentral sports)

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Diamondbacks right-hander Archie Bradley talks about the excitement of getting spring training started, saying "I couldn't sleep last night." Video: Nick Piecoro/azcentral sports

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The Diamondbacks have faced tough seasons and payroll limitations, and it might cost them a beloved franchise player. Hannah Gaber/azcentral.com Wochit

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USA TODAY Sports has released its projected win totals for the 2017 MLB season. USA TODAY Sports

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Proliferation of young talent in the game provides an abundance of inexpensive options to stock a roster. USA TODAY Sports

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Are the Arizona Diamondbacks right to sue Maricopa County over Chase Field? Columnist E.J. Montini says no.

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With the longest championship drought in American professional sports, the Cubs have seen a lot change since they last won the World Series, in 1908. Time_Sports

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Shelby Miller throws bullpen session at Salt River Fields

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D-Backs manager Lovullo on getting started, Shelby Miller

D-Backs pitcher Archie Bradley talks about his beard

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Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Anthony Banda throws to Grand Canyon University in the 1st inning during an exhibition game on Feb. 22, 2017 at Salt River Fields in Scottsdale, Ariz.(Photo: Rob Schumacher/azcentral sports)

In a mostly empty clubhouse early Wednesday morning, Anthony Banda shifted a couple of lockers to his right, close enough to start a conversation with Jorge De La Rosa. It was a classic spring training moment: a prospect rubbing elbows with a veteran big-leaguer.

Banda, a bespectacled lefty who ranks as the Diamondbacks top pitching prospect, is trying to make the most of hisexperience in big-league camp. Hes also hoping to make things difficult for the front office at the end of March.

He got off to a solid start on Wednesday at Salt River Fields. Firing fastballs up to 96 mph, Banda worked around a one-out walk to toss a scoreless inning against Grand Canyon University in the Diamondbacks first exhibition game of the year.

Banda represents half of the clubs return in what ranks among the best deals former General Manager Kevin Towers made during his tenure. On July 31, 2014, the Diamondbacks sent outfielder Gerardo Parra to the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for Banda and outfielder Mitch Haniger.

Haniger had a breakout 2016 season and reached the big leagues; his inclusion in the Jean Segura trade allowed the Diamondbacks to acquire high-ceiling right-hander Taijuan Walker.

RELATED:Robbie Ray took good with bad in 2016 season

Banda had a sort of breakout of his own, posting solid numbers at Double-A and Triple-A, and doing so with a fastball that ticked up a couple miles per hour from previous years, when he topped out in the low-90s.

In what the industry perceives as a weak farm system, Banda is one of the few bright spots; he is the Diamondbacks lone representative on Baseball Americas Top 100 prospects list, ranking 88th. He seems to take such status with a grain of salt.

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Diamondbacks' Anthony Banda continues impressive progress - AZCentral.com

Pennsylvania Education Secretary Pedro A. Rivera(Photo: Education Secretary Pedro A. Rivera)

Over the past two years Ive had the privilege to visit dozens of schools across the Commonwealth. These visits have given me the opportunity to join communities in celebrating the great achievements schools are making every day, as well as engage in thoughtful conversations with stakeholders about successes and the residual challenges schools face from years of chronic under-funding.

As a commonwealth, weve made great progress in properly investing in education finally climbing out of a funding hole that forced our schools to make damaging cuts in programs and staff. Through steadfast support, the governor secured more than an additional $640 million for schools in his first two years. This year, when the state is facing enormous fiscal challenges, Gov. Tom Wolf is continuing to prioritize our students and advocate for additional funding education for a third straight year.

The additional $125 million in K-12 funding that the governor has proposed will allow our schools to continue to deliver the quality education that every student deserves. Schools across the state will use this funding to continue to implement innovative strategies in the classroom, and expand programs proven to prepare students for success after they graduate.

A $100 million increase in basic education funding would be driven to districts using the Basic Education Funding Formula, a bipartisan measure, whichWolf signed into law last year. The long overdue formula works toward both equity and predictability by accounting for both student- and district-based factors. This years investment would be in addition to the over $500 million that has been distributed through the formula already. It would also include an additional $25 million in special education funding.

The governor has also shown his support for our youngest learners, by proposing an additional $75 million for high-quality early learning programs. These programs are vital to ensuring students start kindergarten with the tools they need to hit the ground running. Further, access to pre-kindergarten programs, like Pre-K Counts, are shown to have long-term benefits like higher academic proficiency and improved employability for students later in life.

There is still tremendous unmet need when it comes to pre-kindergarten in the commonwealth, but under Wolfs proposal, Pennsylvania could expand pre-kindergarten to an additional 8,400 children, which will strengthen the economy, reduce long-term costs, and improve academic outcomes.

As part of his 2017-18 budget, Wolf also included a new school improvement initiative that will help ensure that state funding over the past two years is improving student outcomes. Using a proposed state investment of $2 million to leverage an additional $1 million in federal dollars, this initiative will establish a pilot program in 15 schools across the state to use innovative and evidence-based approaches to school improvement, rather relying on the cookie cutter strategies of the past.

This Administration knows the value that schools provide to communities across Pennsylvania, and that failing to invest in education has a long-term detrimental impact on our states economy, which why even in fiscally challenging timesWolf has continued to be a champion for our schools.

The historic investment the governor has made, coupled with dedicated and hardworking educators, have helped reverse the harm effects cuts had on some of our schools, but there is more to be done and this years proposal is a renewal of the Governors support of education as well as a blueprint to put students on a path to achievement.

Pedro A. Rivera is Pennsylvania Secretary of Education.

Read or Share this story: http://www.yorkdispatch.com/story/opinion/contributors/2017/02/23/oped-pa-schools-celebrating-progress-sustaining-investment/98296754/

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Oped: PA Schools: Celebrating progress, sustaining investment - York Dispatch

Meet the Mets

Manager Terry Collins was impressed with Zack Wheelers latest bullpen session.

All of the Mets pitchers take their work seriously as they prepare for the season ahead.

Steven Matz made waves when he posted a picture featuring him posing with a shark. The Mets werent too concerned when they found out.

Rafael Montero was once considered a top prospect in the organization, but he might be running out of chances to prove himself.

It was an easy decision for both Noah Syndergaard and Jeurys Familia when they were approached about participating in the World Baseball Classic. Terry Collins has already spoken to managers in the WBC about how his players will be used in the tournament.

Rene Rivera developed a rapport with Syndergaard last season, and that is something Travis dArnaud hopes to achieve this season. dAranud is also appreciative of the confidence the Mets showed in him this offseason. The Mets will need him to be better since they have received little production from their catchers for most of the past decade.

The Mets were mostly apathetic towards the new intentional walk rule.

David Wright continues to take it slow as he gets himself ready for Opening Day.

Could there possibly be a position battle at first base as spring training gets underway? Lucas Duda, for his part, is determined to stay healthy and contribute to the team.

Terry Collins remains hopeful as the season inches closer.

Say cheese! It was Photo Day at Tradition Field for the Mets.

The Braves are fully embracing Bartolo Colon and gifted to the world his photo shoot.

The Mets traded Preston Wilson to the Marlins for Mike Piazza, and Wilson went on to have a solid career with his new team. He is number 33 of the top 100 Marlins of all time. Miguel Cabrera had no use for the intentional walk when he was with the Marlins. Manager Don Mattingly shared his thoughts on how to improve the pace of play.

The Good Phight makes the argument that Jerad Eickhoff should be the Phillies Opening Day starter.

So what does the Matt Wieters signing mean for the rest of the Nationals roster?

Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia has no intention of retiring after his contract expires at the end of 2017.

Angels pitcher Garrett Richards avoided Tommy John surgery by undergoing an alternative stem cell treatment.

Not everyone is thrilled with MLBs new intentional walk rule.

The classic Simpsons episode Homer at the Bat will by honored by the Hall of Fame.

New Jersey governor Chris Christie could be a candidate to replace Mike Francesa on WFAN.

Some teams have enjoyed a great deal of success out of one position for the past decade.

Is this the year baseball gets a reprieve from the Yankees?

Steve Sypa wrote about the Mets possibly making a big splash in the international market.

Nathan Gismot continued his list of the top 25 home run hitters in Mets history and number 19 was Tommie Agee.

Aaron Yorke updated the latest rumors surrounding Neil Walkers possible contract extension and he wrote about when David Wright is expected to return to the diamond.

Happy Birthday Bobby Bonilla!

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Mets Morning News: Zack Wheeler continues to progress - Amazin' Avenue

February 21, 2017 by Chris Gebhardt

The Russian Federal Space Agency, Roscosmos, launched the Progress MS-05/66P resupply mission to the International Space Station on Wednesday morning aboard the final Soyuz-U rocket in history. Liftoff from pad 1/5 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome was on schedule at 05:58:33 GMT (00:58:33 EST, 11:58:33 local time) beginning a two-day orbital rendezvous with the Station.

Progress MS-04 investigation wrap up:

Following confirmation of the most probable cause of the Progress MS-04 launch failure on 1 December 2016, Roscosmos ordered a complete third stage engine replacement on the last remaining Soyuz-U carrier rocket, which will be used to launch Progress MS-05 to the International Space Station.

The engine replacement is also being carried out on the third stage of the Soyuz-FG rocket, which is used to launch the crewed Soyuz missions to the Station.

It is understood that this engine replacement was made with an 11D55 (RD-0110) engine built in 2016, instead of the previously installed 11D55 engine that was produced in 2014 with the engine that failed on MS-04s launch.

There is confidence within Roscosmos that the newly installed, 2016-built engine does not suffer from the same quality assurance issues that plagued the MS-04 third stage engine.

The inquiry into Decembers launch failure concluded that the destruction of the oxidizer turbopump led to the disintegration of the 11D55 engine, thats shredding parts ruptured the oxidizer tank resulting in the loss of mission and vehicle.

The destruction of the oxidizer pump either resulted from the presence of FOD (Foreign Object Debris) or from an assembly violation.

Following engine replacement, the third stage for the final Soyuz-U rocket was transported back to the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan in mid-February, where it was brought into the Launch Vehicle Integration and Test Facility (LV ITF).

Moreover, it was announced on 21 Februarythat all future Soyuz rocket flights (starting with Progress MS-05) carrying uncrewed Progress and crewed Soyuz capsules will fly with rocketcams to monitor the flight and stage separations.

Processing campaign for MS-05:

While the investigation and corrective actions to the third stage of its carrier rocket occurred, workers at Baikonur continued to process the Progress MS-05 spacecraft itself for launch.

On 10 February, Technical Management and the State Commission confirmed Progress MS-05s readiness for propellant fueling and compressed gases filling operations following completion of loading operations of the final dry cargo elements of Progress payload.

All told, Progress MS-05 is carrying nearly 3 tonnes of supplies, equipment, food, clothing, consumables, and Station maintenance items to the ISS.

Among the various payload elements is an Orlan-MKS spacesuit.

The first new Orlan-MKS suit was lost on Progress MS-04. Because of this loss, its unknown at this point whether the sole Russian EVA scheduled for this year will be able to take place, as the EVA can only occur once two Orlan-MKS suits are aboard Station.

By 14 February, Progress was fueled and filled with compressed gas and was subsequently delivered to the Spacecraft Assembly and Testing Facility (SC ATF), where it was mated to its transfer compartment on 16 February.

This was followed by the designers inspection, which occurred on 17 February, and encapsulation into its payload fairing that same day.

Late on the 17th, the encapsulated Progress MS-05 spacecraft was transported from the SC ATF to the LV ITF.

On 18 February, Progress was mated to the third stage of its Soyuz-U booster, and the third stage was subsequently mated to the second/core stage of the Soyuz.

Following final engineering review and approval, the Soyuz-U rocket with Progress MS-05 attached was transported by rail to Gagarin Start, pad 1/5 at Baikonur on the morning of 20 February.

Once erected on the launch stand, the launch table was rotated to align the Soyuz-U into the proper orientation so that its pitch maneuver will result in the rocket flying on the correct azimuth to orbit.

The veteran Soyuz-U rocket lacks the ability to perform a roll maneuver in flight; thus that element of flight must be accounted for by the launch pad.

Launch timeline and major milestones:

Progress MS-05 lifted off from Baikonur at 05:58:33 GMT (00:58:33 EST; 11:58:33 local time) on the final Soyuz-U rocket.

Twenty-seconds prior to liftoff, the Soyuz-Us four strap-on boosters and core stage engine began their ignition sequences, ramping up to full thrust for last-second health checks before the vehicle was released from the pad.

At liftoff, the four boosters each measuring 19.6 m (64 ft) in length and 2.68 m (8.8 ft) in width produced a combined total thrust from their RD-117 engines of 342,009 kgf (754,000 lbf) while the core stages RD-118 engine produced 80,830 kgf (178,200 lbf).

Total liftoff thrust of the Soyuz-U was 422,839 kgf (932,200 lbf).

Once airborne, the rocket ascended vertically for the first few seconds before performing a pitch maneuver to begin its downrange track over Kazakhstan and the Russian Federation.

The four boosters, each burning 39,598.6 kg (87,300 lbs) of LOX (Liquid Oxygen) and RP1 (rocket refined kerosene), helped push Soyuz through the dense lower atmosphere and accelerate the rocket to 1.5 km/s (0.9 mps).

At T+1 minute 58 seconds, the boosters separated from the core stage, having consumed a combined total of 158,394.4 kg (149,199.87 lbs) of propellant.

Booster separation marked the technical completion of first stage flight, with core stages RD-118 engine taking over sole propulsive duties afterassisting the four boosters during first stage flight.

The core stage of the Soyuz-U stood27.1 m (88.9 ft) tall, was2.95 m (9.7 ft) in diameter, and waspowered by a single RD-118 engine.

Carrying 92,986 kg (205,000 lbs) of LOX/RP-1 propellant, the core stages RD-118 engine produced a maximum thrust of 10,096.9 (kgf) 222,600 lbf during flight.

During second stage flight, the payload fairing was jettisoned at T+2 minutes 39 seconds at an altitude of 85 km.

Second stage flight culminated at T+4 minutes 45 seconds via a hot staging event that saw the shutdown of the RD-118 core stage engine followed two seconds later, at T+4 minutes 47 seconds, by the ignition of the third stage engine.

Once the ignition command to the third stage was issued, a separate command to the pyrotechnic system between the core and third stages severed the connecting bolts.

The third stages 11D55 engine produced 30,391 kgf (67,000 lbf) and carried 22,811 kg (50,290 lbs) of LOX/RP-1.

The third stage 6.7 m (22 ft) long and 2.66 m (8.7 ft) in diameter took the Progress MS-05 spacecraft to its initial orbit via a 3 minute 58 second burn.

Progress MS-05 separated from the third stage at T+8 minutes 49 seconds, at which point Progress was in a 193 by 245 km orbit inclined 51.66 to the equator.

Once Progress registered its separation from the third stage, the spacecraft commanded the deployment of its solar arrays and KURS navigation antennas and initiatedpressurization of its Unified Propulsion System.

Shortly after this, Progress MS-05 passed over the new ground tracking station near Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russias far east.

Communication between Progress and this tracking station will help confirm the vehicles initial health and orbital parameters.

Additionally, it is hoped that Progress MS-05 will finalize S-Band uplink ability from the newly activated ground tracking station which is understood to be the final element needed to certify the facility as operational, thus allowing same-day launch and docking operations of the new MS- series of Progress and Soyuz vehicles with the International Space Station.

Since that is not yet possible, Progress MS-05 will now perform a standard, two-day rendezvous with the Station, arriving for an automated docking at the Stations Pirs docking compartment on Friday, 24 February at 03:34 EST.

In all, Progress MS-05 was the 157th Progress mission since the program began in 1978 for resupply efforts of the Salyut 6 space station and the 68th Progress mission to the ISS, counting the two Progress flights that were not designated as resupply missions because they delivered module elements to the Station.

Including Wednesdays launch, 68 Progress missions will have launched to ISS to date, with Progress MS-05/66P being the 65th Progress to successfully reach orbit, following the Progress 44 launch failure in August 2011, the Progress 59 launch mishap in April 2015, and the Progress 65 launch failure in December 2016.

Soyuz-Us retirement flight 43 years and 787 missions:

Todays successfulflight marked the 786th and final flight of the Soyuz-U rocket.

Production of this Soyuz rocket variant was discontinued in April 2015 following disintegration of political relations between the Russian Federation and Ukraine, where portions of the Soyuz-Us guidance system was built.

With Progress MS-05, the Soyuz-U completed an historic career with the rocket being the longest-serving launch vehicle in history after entering service on 18 May 1973.

The first flight of Soyuz-U lofted theKosmos 559, a Zenit military surveillance satellite, to orbit.

Since that first mission, the Soyuz-U conducted 786 launches, 765 of which were successes and 22 of which were failures including the Soyuz T-10a crewed mission which caught fire on the launch pad whilethe crew was onboard (with the crew escaping to safety via the Soyuzs launch escape system).

For its historical numbers, the Soyuz-U fire on Soyuz T-10a, which occurred on 26 September 1983, is counted as a mission failure but not as a mission launch as the vehicle never actually left the pad.

Thus, there is a mismatch in the total number of mission successes/failures when compared to the total number of launches/flights with 765 successes and 22 failures equalling 787 against 786 launches.

To this end, Progress MS-05 was the 787th mission of the Soyuz-U but the 786th launch of the rocket.

In all, Soyuz-U was designed in the late-1960s/early-1970s as an upgraded hence the U designation version of the original Soyuz rocket.

It waspart of the R-7 family of rockets, which are based on the R-7 Semyorka missile, and was primarily constructed at the Progress Factory in Samara, Russia.

While most of its missions wereuncrewed, Soyuz-U was used to launch crewed Soyuz missions.

The rockets first crewed flight, Soyuz 16, occurred in December 1974. Soyuz 16 was the USSRs (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) dress rehearsal for the 1975 Apollo-Soyuz Test Program flight.

Following the success of Soyuz 16, Soyuz-U launched the Soyuz 19 mission in July 1975 as the USSRs half of the Apollo-Soyuz Test Program.

Soyuz-U also launched the Soyuz 21 mission, the first flight of a crew to the Salyut 5 space station.

In all, Soyuz-U crewed flights continued until 25 April 2002, when the rocket launched the Soyuz TM-34 spacecraft with a three-person crew for a short-duration stay aboard the International Space Station.

Soyuz TM-34 not only marked the final use of the Soyuz-U for crew transportation missions, but also the final flight of the TM-series Soyuz.

With a career spanning 43 years 9 months 4 days, Soyuz-U carriesthe longest lifetime of any orbital rocket and holds the record for most launches in a single calendar year of 47 flights, which occurred in 1979.

Moreover, itstands as one of the most reliable rockets in history, with a total mission success rate (including todays MS-05 launch) of 97.204%.

(Images: Roscosmos, NASA)

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Longest-serving rocket in history bids farewell with Progress MS-05 ... - NASASpaceflight.com

SAN JOS, Costa Rica Any worries about a shock early exit for the Americans at the 2017 CONCACAF U-20 Championship were dispelled with a three-goal second half in the 4-1 victory over Haiti on Tuesday.

But despite the daylight in the winning margin, this was certainly a grind for the US U-20s as they picked up a much-needed three points.

Certainly, we were affected by the first loss we didnt expect. But when the boys come down here and participate in the tournament, [they] realize that actually every win down here is difficult, said head coach Tab Ramos afterward. Even the wins like tonight, when you see the scores at the end it takes a lot of work to get to that point in games, and I think the boys are starting to figure that out.

The Americans held the bulk of the possession in the first half, but they were lacking in the final third as their passing wasnt as sharp as required.

After erasing Haitis early lead from the penalty spot, Brooks Lennons first of three goals on the night, a burst of pace really started to affect Haiti, leading to openings the US could exploit.

The one thing we said at halftime was we wanted to play the ball a bit faster, said Ramos. I think at times, we played so slowly that it sort of gave Haiti opportunity to set themselves and defend well and not give us any space to penetrate. In the second half, we started to play the ball forward quickly and break lines. We found it easier to get opportunities.

With the three points in the bag and arguably the easiest game of the group coming up on Friday against St. Kitts & Nevis, qualification to the second group stage looks to be just about in the bag. But Ramos team cannot look past any team in this competition, especially after what happened against Panama.

After the attacking outburst that earned them victory on Tuesday, the Americans feel that first loss was an aberration that is behind them, and that theyre growing into the competition.

Were going to progress every game that we play here, and get better and better every time we step on the field, said Lennon, a Real Salt Lake academy product currently on loan with RSL from Liverpool FC. I think we just need to keep playing together and keep moving forward and well get wins.

We knew what had to be done today and we got it done. Now we look forward to St. Kitts.

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US U-20s vow to "progress every game" after key qualifying win over Haiti - MLSsoccer.com

In a fit of productivity, I did my taxes early this year. They were a bit more complex than usual, so I set aside some time to click through TurboTax and make sure I got everything right. Throughout the process, the online tax-preparation program repeatedly reassured me that it had helped me identify every possible tax deduction I qualify for, and made sure I didnt make any mistakes. Attractively animated progress bars filled up while I waited for TurboTax to double- and triple-check my returns.

But as I watched one particularly slick animation, which showed a virtual tax form lighting up line by lineyellow or greenI wondered if what I was seeing actually reflected the progress of a real task being tackled in the background. Did it really take that long to look over every detail of my returns, which is what the page said it was doing? Hadnt TurboTax been checking my work as we went?

I sat down with my colleague Andrew McGill to figure out what was going on in the background. We combed through the source code powering TurboTaxs website, and soon confirmed my suspicion: The animation was fixed. It didnt appear to be communicating with the sites servers at all once it began playingand every TurboTax user saw the same one, which always took the same amount of time to complete. (The same went for at least one other page which purported to show the progress of TurboTaxs checks for every possible tax break with three animated bars.)

But why? Why misrepresent how long it takes to complete a process, and take up unnecessary time doing so?

Its not because TurboTax delights in messing with its clients. Instead, the sites artificial wait times are an example of what Eytan Adar, a professor of information and computer science at the University of Michigan, calls benevolent deception. In a paper he published in 2013 with a pair of Microsoft researchers, Adar described a wide range of design decisions that trick their usersbut end up leaving them better off.

Benevolent deceptions can hide uncertainty (like when Netflix automatically loads default recommendations if it doesnt have the bandwidth to serve personalized ones), mask system hiccups to smooth out a users experience (like when a progress bar grows at a consistent rate, even if the process its visualizing is stuttering), or help people get used to a new form of technology (like the artificial static that Skype plays during quiet moments in a conversation to convince users the call hasnt been dropped).

The word deception has a negative connotation, and lying to users is generally frowned upon. But Adar says its actually a useful, beneficial tool if deployed correctlyand that designers have been tricking their users for years, even if they preferred not to think of it that way.

Curiously, the case of the TurboTax animations is a departure from most of the deceptive practices Adar studied: Rather than covering up a system slowdown, its introducing one. The delay, it turns out, is meant to build customers confidence in the product to which they just entrusted all their financial information.

The process of completing a tax return often has at least some level of stress and anxiety associated with it, said Rob Castro, a spokesperson for TurboTaxs parent company, Intuit. To offset these feelings, we use a variety of design elementscontent, animation, movement, etc.to ensure our customers peace of mind that their returns are accurate and they are getting all the money they deserve.

Adar made a similar decision in a game he designed as an experiment nearly two decades ago. The game, which involved two people negotiating on a price on two separate mobile devices, culminated in a complex step: Both participants bids were encrypted, transmitted wirelessly, and compared, and a software program would show whether or not a deal could be reached.

Despite its complexity, this step was nearly instantaneous in the games first iteration. But the speed confused people. Their reaction was, Wow, was that it? Adar said. That was sort of a bummer for us. He devised a tweak: Instead of happening immediately, the final step launched launched an onscreen animation, which took over the screen with asterisks

The security theater appeared to work. Their delight seemed to increaseand maybe their confidence as well, Adar said. (The difference was anecdotal; the researchers never formally tested participants reactions.)

Although designers dont always like to talk about it, the practice of building in artificial waits isnt uncommon. Last year, Fast Companys Mark Wilson discovered that Facebook uses the same trick on its safety page. He turned up other examples, too: a loan-approval app that builds suspense before delivering results to avoid making customers suspicious, and a site for delivering personalized phone-plan recommendations that slowed down its response time in order to convince users they were actually getting custom results. Examples abound on Twitter, like this progress bar on a Verizon webpage thats just a timer.

Wilson cited a 2011 paper from a pair of Harvard professors that studied this effectthey named it the labor illusionin detail. They found that websites that made their operations look easy were actually less satisfying to consumers. When websites engage in operational transparency by signaling that they are exerting effort, people can actually prefer websites with longer waits to those that return instantaneous results, they wrote. Even when those results are identical.

But not every benevolent deception is designed to make people think the system theyre interacting with is in total control. One trick in particular injected uncertainty into a visual representation of dataand triggered near-heart attacks across the country.

The online election-day dashboard on The New York Times included a set of three dials across the top, displaying the newspapers best guess at Hillary Clinton and Donald Trumps shares of the popular vote, their electoral college votes, and their chance at winning the presidency. Throughout the night, the needle on each of the gauges danced and wiggled, starting in what appeared to be deep Clinton territory and ending, well after midnight, squarely on a Trump victory.

The needles were in constant motionback and forth, back and forthadding to the anxiety of the moment. A few enterprising readers dug into the pages source code, found that the needles were jiggling randomly, and let out their rage on Twitter. More than one person used the word irresponsible.

Gregor Aisch, one of the Times designers behind the election dashboard, justified the needles quiver on his blog the following week. The needle only wandered within the margin of error of the forecast at any given moment, Aisch explained. The movement was designed to emphasize the live, ever-changing nature of the forecast, while visualizing the uncertainty included in the models output. The forecast became more precise as the night wore on, and so the needle jittered less and less.

I asked Aisch whether the blowback to the anxiety-inducing dials made him to reconsider any of his teams decisions. It didnt. The visualization accurately depicted what it was meant to, he said, and hed use a similar tactic if he were designing the dashboard again. The negative response may have really been misdirected anger at the vote tally, he predicted. During election night, we were simply the first ones to destroy the hopes of a lot of people, Aisch said. Hence, we took the fire.

The one thing Aisch said hed do differently is not to display each candidates chance of winning as a percentage. To most, he said, an 80 percent chance of a Clinton win seemed like a home run, when it fact, her victory was far from certain. Nobody would ever trust contraceptives if their chance of failure was one in five, but we made many people believe that Clinton had a clear advantage, Aisch said.

When Twitter users pulled away the curtain and Aischs deception was revealed, some felt theyd been maliciously tricked. A deception, after all, works best when its deceiving people.

I asked Adar if there was a point at which deception crosses from benevolent to malevolent. He set down three ground rules: Designers should prefer non-deceptive solutions to problems, their deceptions should measurably improve the product, and the userif askedshould prefer the deceptive solution. (Of course, most designers wont have the chance to ask their users whether or not they want to be tricked, so they have to make that call on their own.)

But a deception thats beneficial to a user doesnt necessarily have to set the designer back. In fact, Adar says, a good deception usually benefits everyone involved: Happier users keep coming back to useand perhaps pay fora well-designed service.

Take the TurboTax example. Its design touches may make customers less stressed during tax season, and make them feel better about their finances. They, in turn, will come back and keep paying for the service every year.

But TurboTax has another incentive to keep the process from moving as quickly as possible. Its service is a friendly guide through the thorny jungle of credits, benefits, deductions, and forms that Americans must tromp through every year, and its in Intuits best interest to make that jungle seem as thorny and inhospitable as possible. The company regularly lobbies to keep the complicated U.S. tax code in place, and opposes proposals that would radically simplify it.

So a few extra seconds of animations that make you feel like TurboTax is slaving away diligently on your returns is sure to make you feel betterbut it also keeps you in awe of what Intuits software is doing. When, at the end, it asks you to fork over 50 or 100 bucks for the effort, those few seconds might make pulling out your credit card a little easier.

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Why Some Apps Use Fake Progress Bars - The Atlantic

Commuter railroads have made some progress installing a potentially life-saving train technology, though they still have a long way to go, according to new analysis from the American Public Transportation Association (APTA).

The improvement comes as the commuter railroad industry has lagged behind the efforts of freight railroads in implementing positive train control (PTC), which automatically slows down a train that is going over the speed limit and will eventually be required by law.

As of the end of last year, 30 percent of passenger rail locomotives and cab cars are equipped with PTC, up from 29 percent in the first half of 2016. Meanwhile, 50 percent of the necessary PTC radio towers have been erected, up from 46 percent.

The APTA analysis was based on responses from the groups members and quarterly reports from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA).

"The commuter rail industry continues to make significant progress in implementing positive train control, said Richard A. White, the APTAs acting president and CEO. "The progress on this complex safety technology demonstrates the industry's relentless focus on safety."

Congress had originally given commuter and freight railroads until the end of 2015 to install the technology, which can prevent derailments, collisions, crashes and improper track switching. But as railroads struggled to meet compliance deadlines, lawmakers pushed back the implementation date to at least Dec. 31, 2018.

Recent deadly train crashes including a speeding New Jersey Transit train that slammed into Hoboken Terminal have stepped up pressure on railroads.

The APTA data show that commuter railroads across the country still have a long way to go in adopting positive train control, in part because of the steep cost of the technology.

BNSF Railway, a top freight railroad in the U.S.,has even called on Congressto help passenger railroads get into compliance. As a freight railroad, it may sound out of line, but I actually urge Congress to fund passenger commuter rail funding for positive train control, Matthew Rose, executive chairman of BNSF, told a Senate panel last week.

I cant imagine a more difficult train wreck for us to have to go to where we have the positive train control on the freight rail, and the passenger or commuter train didnt because of lack of funding.

PTC implementation is projected to cost the commuter rail industry more than $3.5 billion in capital expenses and $100 million annually in additional maintenance costs, the APTA said.

Since 2008, Congress has doled out over $650 million in federal grants for installing the technology, as well as a nearly $1 billion loan to the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority, according to the FRA.

"The installation of PTC is challenging for a number of reasons, including from a technical perspective. PTC was not a mature technology when Congress mandated it in the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008," said White.

"Beyond the technological challenges that have to be addressed, there are significant issues in regard to the costs, scarce qualified resources, and adequate access to track and locomotives for installation and testing."

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Commuter railroads make progress installing life-saving tech - The Hill

Cyrus Moulton Telegram & Gazette Staff @MoultonCyrus

WORCESTER - A black man may have been elected twice to the White House, but activist Nyle Fort told an audience at Worcester State University on Tuesday that the struggle for racial equality in America continues.

Racism, more than anything is a system of injustice, Mr. Fort told about 20 students and community members at Worcester State. We still live in a knowingly not just racial, but racist society.

Mr. Fort, 27, is a youth pastor, freelance writer and grass-roots community organizer based in Newark, New Jersey, as well as a masters of divinity candidate at Princeton Theological Seminary.He visited Worcester State Tuesday for a talk entitled "Black in America - Race, Protest and Democracy,' which he combined with a lengthy question-and-answer session.

Mr. Fort said most people think of racism as overt; involving the Ku Klux Klan and nooses. But he said racism in modern society is much more subtle and deeply rooted throughout American institutions - including in economics, healthcare, housing, academia, and a criminal justice system where 2.7 million people are imprisoned, including 1 million blacks, a disproportional rate.

And nobody - even the most racially sensitive - are immune to these institutions.

If the American empire is burning, all our clothes are burning, Mr. Fort said.

But he said students have the opportunity to bring about equality.

Mr. Fort noted that it was black students who organized sit-ins at segregated lunch counters during the civil rights era. Protests in Ferguson, Missouri, were led by young activists, and the rise of African-American studies in higher education was driven by black students, he said.

There have always been particular opportunities for college students, Mr. Fort said. Use the resources of institutions for social change.

And students and community members had lots of questions about how to bring about this social change.

Asked about how to combat inherent - albeit not willful - white privilege, Mr. Fort urged students to recognize that white supremacy or racism not only is bad for blacks but for all. He noted that not all Flint, Michigan, residents are black and that not all whites who embraced the Confederacy benefited under the unjust institution of slavery.Rather, in seeking to explain why many poor whites have historically voted against their own self interests, Mr. Fort called racism a disease ... that will make people do things that are bad for them, willfully.

Asked whether he espoused integration or segregation, Mr. Fort said integration holds the state responsible for equality and provides for multi-racial solidarity and coalition building. But he also said its goal is to give people access to a problematic pie.

He also spoke fondly of attending Morehouse College, a historically black college, which exposed him to the vastness of black life. But he also said such segregated institutions were problematic for very pragmatic reasons.

Attendee Martin Marinos, an instructor of global studies at Worcester State, said he appreciated how Mr. Fort spoke both of racial identity and economic inequality.

Its an important thing to know your identity, Mr. Marinos said. But you shouldnt ignore the broader issue of economic inequality. ... You shouldnt lose sight of the bigger picture.

As for Mr. Fort, he said after the talk that he hoped students understand and wrestle with how entrenched racism is in American society, despite signs of progress.

Though we have a black face in a high place, the masses of black people are still suffering from racism, Mr. Fort said.

And he hoped he inspired students to do something about this.

Students in particular have the capacity to resist racism and to re-imagine society, Mr. Fort said. We together - not one individual, not one messiah, not one Dr. King - can come together and actually do something. Because racism is not God made, it is man-made.

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Worcester State speaker: Symbolic progress but racism remains - Worcester Telegram

The Ghana midfielder was a second half substitute as the Madrid team defeated Bayer Leverkusen on the road

Thomas Parteywas sent in to shore up the midfield and protect the advantage asAtletico MadriddefeatedBayer Leverkusen4-2 in the Champions League on Tuesday.

The 71st minute substitution was the second appearance for the 23-year-old Ghanaian midfielder in this seasons competition.

The visitors took the lead with a well struck left-footed shot by Saul into the back post on 17 minutes as they started the game with a lot of confidence which brought early opportunities.

They doubled their lead on 25 minutes when Antoine Griezmann found himself freed by Kevin Gameiro who kept two defenders busy, and the French striker coolly slotted home.

The hosts got one back through Karim Bellarabi three minutes after the break but Gameiro restored the two goal cushion soon after when he won and converted a penalty in a terrific man of the match performance.

Coach Diego Simeone sent on Partey in place of Gameiro to shore up the midfield and keep their advantage soon after they conceded an own goal after goalkeeper Angel Moya tipped a save onto the knee of Stefan Savic.

Substitute Fernando Torres then scored a header four minutes from time to ensure they took a two goal cushion to Madrid for the return leg in a fortnight.

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Thomas Partey's Atletico take big step towards UCL progress - Goal.com