UCP PISSES OFF TEACHERS

ATA vote shows need for change: local chapter president

Teachers in Alberta made their voices heard Sunday when a group of delegates from the Alberta Teacher’s Association voted 99% in favour of a non-confidence motion against Education Minister Adriana LaGrange.

“I think people need to be aware that the ATA is made up of teachers from all over Alberta,” said Val Browne, Alberta teacher of 29 years and current president of the Medicine Hat Public Schools ATA. “From north to south to east to west, from rural to urban, so it definitely presents an accurate picture of what’s going on within public education. This is a problem, there are some very serious issues that need to be addressed.”

The ATA held its annual representative assembly virtually this year, during which the group of delegates come together to set policy, discuss direction for the association and reaffirm values and beliefs.

“One of the things that we strongly believe in at the ATA is public education,” said Jason Schilling, ATA president. “When the teachers spoke, they spoke passionately and thoughtfully about what they see as the erosion of public education, the erosion of supports for students in their classrooms, blatant disrespect for teachers and their profession by the minister and the government.

“They have seen enough that they put forward this very serious motion of non-confidence. This is a strong signal to the minister and to the government, one of their jobs is to support the public education in this province and they feel like that is not happening.”

The UCP government has most recently been criticized for its draft curriculum for K-6, but Schilling says that’s not the only reason for the non-confidence vote. The teachers have serious concerns about many items, such as the changes to their pensions, budget cuts and the handling of education and schools during the pandemic, as well as the fact they were not consulted in the process of any of those changes.

“They aren’t being consulted on things that dramatically affect their professional and personal lives,” Schilling said. “That is unacceptable to teachers and that is the message that we heard on the weekend.”

Both Browne and Schilling expressed desire for the ATA to work closely and co-operatively with the government as they move forward to repair what the teachers clearly view as a damaged system.

“We want to have an optimal, top-notch public education program for all the students of Alberta and we want to have a voice in those decisions,” Browne said. “I think it’s important that the government be able to work with teachers and teachers be able to work with the government to provide that optimal environment. I hope from here we can sit down and have productive conversation, to be able to plan effectively for the future.”

Schilling, who spent 20 years in the classroom before assuming the role of ATA president, and who hopes to return when he is done his term, spoke of the deep care and concern that teachers feel for their students and their education.

“Teachers have a responsibility to stand up and defend public education, and that’s what you saw on the weekend.”said Schilling, “The ball is in the minister’s court. If she has any interest in trying to repair her relationship with the teachers of Alberta then she needs to sit down and have a genuine, authentic conversation and start making moves to address the serious concerns that teachers have.”

Lauren Thomson, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Medicine Hat News

UCP PISSES OFF ALLIES
Businesses concerned by delays in Alberta government's assistance rollout
Elise von Scheel

© Todd Korol/The Canadian Press Businesses are pointing out issues with the rollout of a business support program housed in Minister Doug Schweitzer's file.

Alberta businesses say delays in the rollout of government support programs are pushing enterprises to their limits.

The province promised a $350-million boost this spring for a third round of the Small and Medium Enterprise Relaunch Grant, which makes an extra $10,000 available for businesses that had a 30 per cent revenue drop because of COVID-19.

The third tranche opened mid-April, but some businesses are still waiting to receive the infusion — despite a 14-day estimated time from application to payout.

"I was sad, but now I'm angry because if you can't deliver, don't promise," said Shara Vigeant, the owner of SVPT Fitness & Athletics in Edmonton.

"It doesn't send the message that small businesses are important."

She applied when the program opened and reached out two weeks ago to ask what the delay was. Vigeant says she was told by the government Tuesday that a "system issue" is resulting in payment delays and her funds should be released shortly.

Her rent for the gym is due Monday. If the grant doesn't come by then, she says she'll have to dip into her personal savings account.

"I just wish they'd be a little bit more real with their time frames, rather than give us hope and then rip it away from us," Vigeant said.

Paul Shufelt, the chef and proprietor at Workshop Eatery in Edmonton, wrote on Twitter that his application had complications and it would take 8-10 days to get any more information.

Technical glitch and application errors

A technical glitch that affected Internet Explorer users caused issues for about five per cent of applicants, according to Jobs, Economy and Innovation Minister Doug Schweitzer's office.

Other applications that have incorrect or incomplete information may require a manual followup, which can cause delays of up to eight weeks. The minister's office said in the past that 20 per cent of applications have had those errors.

More than $32 million has been approved in grants in the last month and the government has hired 20 additional staff members to address any bottlenecks.

The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) says it has seen an increase in calls from businesses having issues with the third payout of the program.

"What needs to be done is basically putting more additional resources to approving and going through the applications," said Annie Dormuth, the CFIB's Alberta provincial affairs director.

"[Businesses are] just hanging on by a very, very small thread right now."

More than 5,000 applications have been fulfilled since the program reopened, according to the province. During the lifespan of the program, 75 per cent of businesses have received their payments within 10 days, it says.

Application intake for the third round of the program ends May 31.

Debt and deficit explained in one minute

Duration: 01:02 

Let's talk about the d-words: debt and deficit. They are two words we hear a lot in Newfoundland and Labrador. But do you know the difference? For a one-minute refresher, watch this animated explainer video.

 cbc.ca

The Bank of Canada is trying to go green

Kevin Carmichael 
Staple Theory is a weekly look at Canada’s resource economy and the forces that shape it. Read it first in the FP Economy newsletter

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 Provided by Financial Post The Bank of Canada, run by Governor Tiff Macklem, is creating a role for itself as an honest broker in a country that continues to struggle to find a consensus on how to meet its Paris commitments, writes Kevin Carmichael.

The Bank of Canada isn’t the greenest of the major central banks. That distinction probably goes to the Bank of England, which earlier this year received orders from the British government to take climate change into account when purchasing financial assets.

For now, Governor Tiff Macklem’s sole mandate remains taming inflation. Having a singular focus allows him to steer clear of political traps. A climate remit like the one given to the Bank of England would complicate life for Canada’s central bank, because oil companies are big issuers of corporate debt. The Bank of Canada’s emergency Corporate Bond Purchase Program specifically sought to build a portfolio that mirrored the broader market. That meant buying bonds that had been issued by companies such as Canadian Natural Resources Ltd . and Suncor Energy Inc.

Still, the Bank of Canada is becoming an important player in the climate fight. It’s creating a role for itself as an honest broker in a country that continues to struggle to find a consensus on how to meet its Paris commitments. Macklem and his deputies on the Governing Council used their annual Financial System Review (FSR) to state explicitly that “assets exposed to climate-related risks are generally mispriced,” meaning that banks, asset manager, and other owners of such assets might not be as wealthy in reality as they currently appear to be on paper. Policy-makers called it a “vulnerability” that could result in a financial crisis if prices correct too quickly.

The Bank of Canada is also ramping up its research agenda. The FSR included the results of a deep study of natural disasters in Canada based on data that dates to 1900. Using artificial intelligence, the central bank determined that about 40 per cent of the country’s total household debt is held by households living in parts of the country that face “high exposure” to wildfires and other such catastrophes.

Unprepared and under-insured Canada warned about escalating risk of mega-hurricanes

The loonie is soaring — and it isn't just an oil story

Canada's steel industry has a secret weapon that could soon beat China's cheaper bids

In other words, one bad weather event could trigger a cascade of bankruptcies that would ripple all the way to Bay Street. The financial system’s exposure to climate-change risk is broader than most investors realize. That’s why the oil-industry bonds that the Bank of Canada purchased while it was fighting the COVID-19 crisis were purchased at a premium. Investors soon will demand a greater risk premium. They probably are doing so already.

Stunning Lunar Eclipse Photos and Videos Show 2021 Supermoon

Ewan Palmer 

NEWSWEEK

Images and videos have been shared online of the rare "Super Flower Blood Moon" which is appearing in the night sky this week.

© FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images The Moon as seen over Santa Monica, California on May 26, 2021 during the "Super Blood Moon" total eclipse.

The phenomenon, which occurs when a total lunar eclipse coincides with a full moon reaching its closest point of orbit to Earth, saw our natural satellite turn a dark red as a result of sunlight refracting through the Earth's atmosphere.


The moon was best viewed in western North America and in far southern South America early Wednesday morning, providing perfect snapshots for those lucky enough to capture the moment when both the supermoon and lunar eclipse occurred at the same time.

A supermoon can be seen when a full moon is at, or near, its closest point to the Earth, making it appear especially large in the sky. A lunar eclipse occurs when the sun and moon are at precise positions on opposite sides of the Earth, preventing the sun's light from reaching the moon's surface.

The Earth's atmosphere then filters the light as it passes, giving the moon a dark reddish glow. According to NASA, the more dust or clouds in Earth's atmosphere there are during the eclipse, the redder the moon will appear.

There are various reasons why the phenomenon has its long name.

According to The Old Farmer's Almanac, which lists the names of the full moon for every month based on Native American, Colonial American, or other traditional North American or European sources, full moons that occur in May are sometimes known as flower moons because that is the month when flowers bloom.

The blood is a reference to the color the moon appears in during the lunar eclipse, with this one being the first to have taken place since 2019.

According to NPR, there have been just nine total lunar eclipses in the last 10 years, whereas supermoons are more common and occur several times a year.


It's happening! Full lunar eclipse.#SuperBloodMoon pic.twitter.com/7Osb2fhkPs— Ashton Altieri (@AshtonCBS4) May 26, 2021


May 26, 2021

LUNAR TRIFECTA 🌚✨

-Full Moon

-Supermoon

-Total Lunar Eclipse "Super Flower Blood Moon"

Fujifilm X-T100

75-300MM#TotalLunarEclipse2021 #SuperFlowerBloodMoon pic.twitter.com/QrBUnDmPEO— GALACTIC HOTDOG 🌭 (@oweeeshi) May 26, 2021


Super blood moon over the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island! 🌝#LunarEclipse2021 #SuperBloodMoon #supermoon pic.twitter.com/CofkjuuSTq— James Gong (@jgong23) May 26, 2021


The moon looks incredible.#LunarEclipse2021 pic.twitter.com/B3iohgKtzU— scott budman (@scottbudman) May 26, 2021

On Thursday, NASA published a guide on how to photograph the moon, which included practicing using your camera and scouting out locations beforehand.

"It means doing a lot of homework," said Bill Ingalls, NASA's senior photographer. "I use Google Maps and other apps—even a compass—to plan where to get just the right angle at the right time."

Ingalls also suggested not photographing the moon by itself, with no reference point.

"I've certainly done it myself, but everyone will get that shot. Instead, think of how to make the image creative—that means tying it into some land-based object. It can be a local landmark or anything to give your photo a sense of place," he said.

WHY DID THE GATOR CROSS THE GULF?
An alligator from Louisiana was discovered on a South Texas beach over 400 miles away, raising questions about how it got there

By Amanda Jackson, CNN 

When members of the National Park Service's (NPS) turtle patrol were scouting the South Texas shore for sea turtles, they spotted an unusual visitor -- an American alligator.

© Padre Island National Seashore/National Park Service/Facebook This American alligator was found on the beach in south Texas on Monday.

The alligator was discovered on the sandy Malaquite Beach on the Padre Island National Seashore in Corpus Christi on Monday. The reptile is thought to have floated across the Gulf of Mexico from Louisiana, as indicted by the notch of its tail and tag on its foot, according to park officials.


"We are kind of speculating that perhaps it was washed out during one of the flooding events in Louisiana," Kelly Taylor, Padre Island National Seashore Public Information Officer, told CNN on Wednesday. "It had a significant amount of algae on it's back that leads us to speculate that it was floating in the Gulf for a while."

Alligators spend time basking in the sun which helps keeps the algae off, Taylor added, which makes them believe this reptile was in the water for quite sometime.

While it is unknown what flooding event might have brought the gator out to sea, Louisiana has been dealing with several bouts of torrential rain over the past two months that has lead to dangerous flash flooding events for the area.

Last week, Lake Charles received more than 12 inches of rain, according to the National Weather Service, marking the third most rainfall in a single day in the city's history and more rain fell than during either of the hurricanes in 2020. In April, the state also received several days of severe weather that brought a near-record amount of rainfall to New Orleans.

Park officials released an image of their unusual beach visitor on Tuesday, stating that they also believe this was a young alligator due to it's size. American Alligators are one of the largest reptiles in North America, according to Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, and they can grow up to 13 feet in length.

This species is normally found in the coastal wetlands of the US Southeast, as far north as North Carolina and as far west as eastern Texas, according to The National Wildlife Federation.

"While alligators can tolerate salt water for a few hours or even days, they are primarily freshwater animals, living in swampy areas, rivers, streams, lakes, and ponds," according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration website.

Padre Island National Seashore, located in South Texas, is the longest stretch of undeveloped barrier island in the world, according to NPS. It separates the Gulf of Mexico from the Laguna Madre, one of a few hypersaline lagoons in the world.

"As a fresh water species being in salt water we can make assumption it was probably dehydrated," Taylor said. "It is received fluids but that is also standard."

She added that the alligator seemed to be in good shape but out of its element. It is now being treated and evaluated at a local rehabilitation center.

The more commonly known reptile that this park deals with are sea turtles. They have a dedicated team that monitors and protects the animals as they come on shore to nest and lay eggs. Each year, thousands of visitors come to the park to watch as the hatchings make their way out to the Gulf of Mexico.

CTHULU IN SPACE
Baby squid and tardigrades are heading to space

By Ashley Strickland, CNN 1

"Water bears" and baby squid are about to hitch a ride to space.

© Jamie S. Foster/University of Florida/NASA This image shows juvenile bobtail squid swimming in seawater just after hatching. 

No, we're not starting an aquarium in space. These animals will be joining the astronaut crew aboard the International Space Station for research purposes.

SpaceX is scheduled to launch its 22nd cargo resupply mission to the space station on June 3 at 1:29 p.m. ET. The spacecraft will carry supplies, scientific research experiments and technology demonstrations. It's even loaded up with new solar panels that will be installed outside the space station by astronauts during spacewalks in June.

Some 5,000 tardigrades, also known as water bears, and 128 baby glow-in-the-dark bobtail squid will be among the precious cargo heading to the station. Both will be involved in experiments there. The first will be to see how water bears tolerate the environment. Researchers also wants to know if the lack of gravity affects symbiotic relationships between the squid and beneficial microbes.

© Thomas Boothby/Boothby Lab/University of Wyoming/NASA Under a microscope, tardigrades look a bit like tiny bears -- hence their nickname, "water bears."

Other experiments heading to the station include a portable ultrasound, remote operation of robotic arms using virtual reality, analyzing how kidney stones form in space, studying the oral microbiome (that's in your mouth) and producing more stress-resistant cotton.

Hundreds of scientific experiments are carried out each day on the space station; it's an orbiting laboratory, after all. Astronauts oversee these experiments and report back their observations to researchers on Earth. The research helps us gain a better understanding of life in zero gravity as well as discovering benefits that can be applied on Earth.

Water bears in space

Beneath a microscope, tiny tardigrades look like water bears. Although they are commonly found in water -- and at times, serving as the nemesis in "Ant-Man and the Wasp" -- tardigrades are known for their ability to survive and even thrive in the most extreme environments.

"Tardigrades are a group of microscopic animals that are renowned for their ability to survive a number of extreme stresses," said Thomas Boothby, assistant professor of molecular biology at the University of Wyoming and principal investigator for Cell Science-04 tardigrade experiment, in a press conference Wednesday.

"Some of the things that tardigrades can survive include being dried out, being frozen and being heated up past the boiling point of water. They can survive thousands of times as much radiation as we can and they can go for days or weeks with little or no oxygen."

They can tolerate these extremes better than most forms of life, and what's more extreme than space? It's not the first time tardigrades have gone to space -- and there may even be some of them on the moon after a mission carrying them crashed into its surface.

"They've been shown to survive and reproduce during spaceflight, and can even survive prolonged exposure to the vacuum of outer space," Boothby said.

Scientists have been able to sequence the tardigrade genome, so they can actually measure how these microscopic animals are impacted by different environmental conditions based on their gene expression.

Boothby's experiment is designed to see how tardigrades adapt to life in low-Earth orbit, which could lead to a greater understanding of the stressors humans face in space. The research involves studying the molecular biology of water bears both for the short-term, such as water bears that live on the station for seven days to see their immediate adaptation, as well as long-term. These multigenerational water bears could help scientists understand the genetics behind adaptation and survival in a highly stressful environment.

Even though the space station is more protective than existing in deep space, humans and animal experiments aboard are subjected to decreased gravity and increased radiation exposure.

"Understanding how to safeguard astronauts and other organisms against these stresses will be essential for ensuring a safe and productive long-term space presence," Boothby said.

The tardigrades will arrive on the station in a frozen inanimate state, then be thawed out, revived and grown in a special bioculture system.

The short- and long-term study results should allow researchers to watch what genes are being turned on or off to help the tardigrades survive.

For example, if researchers determine that tardigrades are producing a lot of antioxidants to help combat the level of radiation they're experiencing, that could tell researchers that astronauts need to eat a more antioxidant-enriched diet.

"Ultimately this information will give us insights into how one of the toughest organisms on Earth is able to survive the rigors of spaceflight," Boothby said. "And our hope is that these insights will provide avenues for developing countermeasures or therapies that will help safeguard astronauts during prolonged space missions."


Celestial umami

Astronauts are about to experience a little bit of umami in space, just not the kind they can taste.

The UMAMI experiment stands for Understanding Microgravity on Animal Microbe Interactions and Jamie Foster, professor in the Department of Microbiology and Cell Science at the University of Florida, is its principal investigator. She's eager to see how healthy beneficial microbes communicate with animal tissues in space.

"Animals, including humans, rely on our microbes to maintain a healthy digestive and immune system," Foster said. "We do not fully understand how spaceflight alters these beneficial interactions. The UMAMI experiment uses a glow-in-the-dark bobtail squid to address these important issues in animal health."

Bobtail squid, which are only about three millimeters long, work as the perfect model to study this for two reasons. These squid have a special light organ inside the body which can be colonized by a species of luminescent bacteria. The squid can then use that bacteria to glow in the dark. Because it's a single species of bacteria and one type of host tissue, it's easy for researchers to follow how this process unfolds, Foster said.

The squid also have an immune system which is very similar to the type that humans have.

"We can take a lot of parallels of how the immune system is responding to these beneficial microbes in the space environment," Foster said.

The squid are born without bacteria, so they have to acquire it from their environment. The humans conducting the experiment will initiate this symbiosis by adding the bacteria to the animals and observing what happens during the first few hours as colonization takes place.

The squid will be part of a completely autonomous experiment housed in what looks like a box. Pumps will add water or bacteria when its needed, or pump out water if necessary.

The squid tissue will be frozen on the station and returned to Earth later, preserving the molecular timeline of which genes turned off and on for the squid, similar to the tardigrade experiment.

Researchers will be able to learn if spaceflight alters the mutually beneficial relationship between animals and their microbes.

"As astronauts explore space, they're taking with them a company of different microbial species," Foster said. "And it's really important to understand how those microbes, collectively called the microbiome, change in the space environment and how those relationships are established."

Image: shanegallagher.deviantart.com

Here is a sad piece of news. There is no official Science Fiction setting for Call of Cthulhu. Although over the years, the genre has been visited rarely, most notably in the scenarios, “Blood Moon” in Strange Aeons and “The Last Log,” Marcus L. Rowland’s fondly remembered contribution to White Dwarf #56, the genre itself remains ignored and its potential undeveloped.

Reviews from R'lyeh: By Jove... Cthulhu in Space

rlyehreviews.blogspot.com/2012/09/by-jove-cthulhu-in-space.html

#COLONIALISTARCHAEOLOGY 

Ancient Judeans ate non-kosher seafood, fish bones show

By Amy Woodyatt

Ancient Judeans ate non-kosher fish at a time when it was thought to have been prohibited in the Bible, according to a new study

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© Chameleons Eye/Shutterstock Three catfish swim in Hula Nature Reserve in north Israel.

Researchers analyzed ancient fish bones from 30 archeological sites in areas that are now part of Israel and Egypt, dating from the Late Bronze Age (1550-1130 B.C.) to the end of the Byzantine period in 640 A.D.

The main principles of Jewish dietary law are laid down in the Chumash, or written Torah -- thought by many scholars to have been compiled during the Persian era (539-332 B.C.) and based on long-held traditions.

Observant Jews still comply with kosher requirements as laid out in the book -- including the requirement that any fish consumed must have fins and easily detached scales.

After analyzing fish bones at many Judean sites dating to the Iron Age (1130-586 B.C.) -- including at the Judean capital city of Jerusalem -- researchers found a significant proportion of non-kosher fish remains, such as catfish and shark.

The team also found evidence of non-kosher fish consumption in Jerusalem during the Persian era -- the point at which the laws were thought to have been compiled.

Yonatan Adler, senior lecturer in archeology at Ariel University on the West Bank, told CNN that he and his colleague Omri Lernau, from University of Haifa in Israel, wanted to use archeology to pinpoint the exact time when ancient Judeans became aware of the Torah and started to observe it in everyday life.

"We have in two places in the Torah, (in) Leviticus and Deuteronomy, a prohibition against eating finless and scaleless fish," he explained.

"What we found was that throughout the Iron Age ... there's no evidence that Judeans or Israelites were abstaining from scaleless fish," he said.

As a result, say the study authors, their findings call for a rethink of the assumption that long-held traditions were the basis for the food laws as described in the Torah.

Adler said more research needs to be done to pinpoint exactly when Judeans began to abstain from scaleless fish, adding that there is a gap in his team's data for the Hellenistic period (332 B.C. to 63 B.C.) -- the time between the Persian and Roman periods.

"Afterwards, during the Roman period, when we find Judean assemblages of fisher remains, they are almost completely absent of prohibited fish," he said.

The study was published in the archeological journal Tel Aviv.

COLONIALIST TOMB ROBBERY
Religious artifacts returned to Thailand after decades

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Two stolen hand-carved religious artifacts, sandstone lintels dating back to the 9th and 10th centuries, were returned to the Thai government on Tuesday in a ceremony more than 50 years overdue.

© Provided by The Canadian Press

The 1,500-pound (680-kilogram) antiquities had been stolen and exported from Thailand — a violation of Thai law — roughly a half-century ago, authorities said, and donated to the city of San Francisco, authorities said. They had been exhibited at the San Francisco Asian Art Museum.

San Francisco, which owns the museum, agreed to hand over the ancient sandstone slabs following a three-year investigation by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and a civil lawsuit. The lintels had been structural parts of two religious sanctuaries in northeastern Thailand.

Records showed that the lintels had been obtained by a collector in galleries in London and Paris in the 1960s, according to the civil complaint. The collector, Avery Brundage, was apparently aware that at least one of the lintels had been illegally taken out of Thailand, the complaint states. Brundage, a former controversial president of the International Olympic Committee who donated the art to establish the museum, died in 1975.

The museum, however, contends that authorities conflated the two lintels with a third — which Brundage actually returned to Thailand in 1970 when he found out it may have been illegally removed from the country, according to Robert Mintz, deputy director of the Asian Art Museum.

The third lintel was never part of the San Francisco art collection, Mintz said, and museum officials say there's no evidence Brundage knew the other two lintels may have been stolen.

The Thai government had been trying to get the museum to return the other artifacts since 2016. The Los Angeles Times reported the mystery surrounding the lintels, and various attempts to return them to Thailand, in March.

Mintz said the curators are entrusted with artifacts held for the public and it was their responsibility to determine if any challenges to provenance are valid.

Mintz said the museum followed its bylaws — which stipulate certain steps must be taken — and did not seek to delay the return of the lintels.

“We're very happy that the Thai lintels have officially returned,” he said. “The two lintels really are going to where they belong."

But the museum still maintains that the lintels may not have been stolen. The artifacts left Thailand “under circumstances that are very unclear,” Mintz said, and turned up in Europe, where Brundage bought them.

No documentation regarding their export from Thailand has ever been found — which U.S. and Thai authorities say is evidence they were stolen. But Mintz says that a lack of evidence does not mean there is proof of that a crime was committed.

The case prompted the museum to review the provenance of its other artifacts.

The San Francisco city attorney, which represented the museum in litigation, did not immediately return a request for comment on Tuesday.

U.S. officials stressed the importance of repatriating stolen cultural artifacts. The repatriation ceremony, which included Thai dancers and prayers, was held in Los Angeles because the consulate is in the city — which also has the largest Thai population in the U.S.

The Thai ambassador to the U.S., Manasvi Srisodapol, called the ceremony part of the lintels' “sacred journey back home" and acknowledged the ongoing illegal trade of Thai artifacts in the black market.

“I do wish that the story of the Thai lintels will help raise public awareness to prevent removal of historic, religious and cultural treasures form their original sites in local communities," he said.

David Keller, the Homeland Security Investigations special agent who oversaw the repatriation case for nearly four years, said officials believe European dealers illegally exported the lintels out of Thailand. The antiquities' combined estimated value is $700,000.

Tatum King, the special agent in charge for Homeland Security Investigations in San Francisco, said the case reinforces the need for museums and art collectors to inventory their items and see if any are in fact stolen artifacts.

“Museums are often the front line of this, and we need their help,” King said.

Stefanie Dazio, The Associated Press

HOBBY LOBBY HAS BE FOUND GUILTY OF THIS  CRIME BY LOOTING GOODS FROM THE HOLY LAND, REGARDLESS OF RELIGION

Stephen Hawking's archive, office acquired for UK public

LONDON (AP) — London’s Science Museum and the Cambridge University library said Wednesday they have acquired a large collection of items belonging to late physicist Stephen Hawking, from his personalized wheelchairs to landmark papers on theoretical physics and his scripts from his appearance on “The Simpsons.” 

THE VERY CROWN OF CIVILIZATION, RIGHT LIZA

© Provided by The Canadian Press

The entire contents of Hawking’s office at Cambridge — including his communications equipment, memorabilia, bets he made on scientific debates and office furniture — will be preserved as part of the collection belonging to the Science Museum Group.


Hawking occupied the office at the university’s department of applied mathematics and theoretical physics from 2002 until shortly before his death in 2018.

Highlights will go on display at the London museum early next year. Museum officials are also hoping to create a touring exhibition in the U.K. before setting up a permanent display in London.

Meanwhile, his vast archive of scientific and personal papers, including a first draft of his bestselling “A Brief History of Time” and his correspondence with leading scientists, will remain at Cambridge University’s library.

The institutions’ acceptance of Hawking’s archive and office meant that his estate settled 4.2 million pounds ($5.9 million) in inheritance tax. 

'A DEATH TAX' TO YOU AMERICAN READERS AKA TAX AVOIDANCE

This was done through a U.K. government plan which allows those who have such tax bills to pay by transferring important cultural, scientific or historic objects to the nation. Artefacts accepted under the plan are allocated to public collections and available for all.

Hawking studied for his PhD at Cambridge and later became the university's Lucasian Professor of Mathematics, the same post that Isaac Newton held from 1669 to 1702.

Cambridge’s acquisition of the 10,000-page archive means that Hawking’s papers will join those of Newton and Charles Darwin at the university library, where they will soon be free for the public to access.

“The archive allows us to step inside Stephen’s mind and to travel with him round the cosmos to, as he said, ‘better understand our place in the universe,’” said Jessica Gardner, the university’s librarian.

“This vast archive gives extraordinary insight into the evolution of Stephen’s scientific life, from childhood to research student, from disability activist to ground-breaking, world-renowned scientist,” she added.

Diagnosed with motor neuron disease at 22 and given just a few years to live, Hawking survived for decades, dying in 2018 at 76. His work on the mysteries of space, time and black holes captured the imagination of millions, and his popular science books made him a celebrity beyond the preserves of academia. Hollywood celebrated his life in the 2014 biopic “The Theory of Everything.”

Hawking’s children, Lucy, Tim and Robert, said they were pleased that their father’s work will be preserved for the public for generations to come.

“My father would be so pleased and I think maybe at the same time, just a tiny bit overwhelmed that he was going to form part of the ... history of science, that he was going to be alongside the great scientists, the people whose work he really admired," Lucy Hawking said.

Sylvia Hui, The Associated Press

Stephen Hawking (January 8, 1942 — March 14, 2018) was a British theoretical physicist, known for his work on black holes, theoretical cosmology and quantum gravity. He was considered the world's smartest man. Due to his amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Hawking was almost totally paralyzed and had to use a wheelchair to move around and used a voice synthesizer to talk. He made four appearances on the show as himself: "They Saved Lisa's Brain", "Don't Fear the Roofer", "Stop or My Dog Will Shoot!" and "Elementary School Musical".

Appearances

•  Episode – "They Saved Lisa's Brain"
•  Episode – "Behind the Laughter" (Archive footage)
•  Episode – "Don't Fear the Roofer"
•  Episode – "Stop or My Dog Will Shoot!"
•  Episode – "Elementary School Musical"
•  Episode – "Mr. Lisa's Opus" (cameo)

Stephen Hawking | Simpsons Wiki | Fandom