Tribute to American Airmen of WWII to Open at Wings Over the Rockies
Maj. Fredric Arnold (Ret.) fulfills his vow to honor fallen comrades with exhibit unveiling.
Denver, CO – July 27, 2016 — On August 6th, Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum, will be the temporary home to “Lest We Forget: The Mission,” an exhibit of twelve life-size bronze figures memorializing the 88,000 American Airmen who lost their lives in World War II.
“Lest We Forget: The Mission” was realized by former Major, WWII fighter pilot and artist Fredric Arnold who made a solemn vow to to honor his fallen comrades, including thirteen other members of Class 42-J, his P-38 training squadron. Major Arnold of Longmont, now 94 years of age, began the project more than four years ago and, with an assistant, has since sculpted the original monument using more than 3,000 pounds of clay.
[Read more…]
Archives for July 2016
Star Trek Beyond-A Review
By Gary Tessler
On it’s fifty-year mission to go where no one has gone before, Star Trek has, on the creative watch of Gene Roddenberry, tackled complex social and economic issues and dreamed up such magical science fiction gizmos that actually influenced the direction of our technology. Star Trek Beyond is different. The emphasis is not on new high tech toys, but the real crux of the franchise: people, character and action. Spock is still Spock, but he is allowed to show some emotion and human connection. The film is action packed but comfortable for those who love the Trek series. Idris Elba is wonderful as the protagonist, but as with all Star Trek characters he is more than a one dimensional bad guy. There are some intriguing new cast members like Jaylah played by Sofia Boutella. Star Trek is always more than it seems. This film is no different. You won’t be disappointed going Beyond Star Trek.
See the trailer here:
A Gynecologist’s Thoughts on Hormones in the Menopause
By Dr. Herzl Melmed
There are few areas in medicine where there is as much confusion as regards the taking of hormones after the cessation of menstruation (menopause). This decision is of great importance because in our society a woman at the age of 50 (around the time of menopause plus or minus 5 years) still is only about half way through her adult life with about another 35 years to live. Taking or not taking estrogen can have a profound effect on her quality of life & health.
From Classroom To Living Room pt. 2
By Dr. Norman J. Fischer
Rules and Free Will: Are They Compatible?
There are, some who say, that by limiting the number of rules we are encouraging children to think for themselves, allowing them to use their imaginations.
Well, yeah, but there are rules and there are rules. Let’s be clear as to what we are talking about. Freedom without rules is nothing more than anarchy (ever seen a teenager’s bedroom?).
Review: ‘Grease’ is the word at PACE Center in Parker, Colorado
By Claudia Carbone
Though it’s set in 1959, Grease is a timeless story about high school kids and their oh-so-important relationships that will always be relevant, even in today’s turbulent times. The theater company Inspire Creative together with Parker Arts have captured all the joy and angst of the gang at Rydell High in their energetic production of the musical directed by Shaun Albrechtson. Grease is an opportunity for grandparents to show kids and grandkids what their teenage years looked like in the relatively peaceful era of the 50s. [Read more…]
The Risks of Catching Rays
It feels good to lounge in the sunshine, but it can hurt your health in the long run. Over the years, too much time outdoors can put you at risk for wrinkles, age spots, scaly patches called actinic keratosis, and skin cancer.
Interview with Sid Shafner
It all began January 30, 1933 when the Nazi party came to power. Twelve years of nationalistic, socialistic dictatorship. Immediately, Hitler imprisoned anyone who opposed him.
On March 21, 1933, The Munich Press announced the opening of a concentration camp,
near Dachau, to accommodate the overpopulation of prisoners. Soon, life for Jews in Germany and anywhere where the German hand was felt, had forever changed.
Eventually, camps in Germany and Poland were designed with one thing in mind: to exterminate the Jews. One-third of the Jewish population, six million, met an untimely and cruel death.
“A Beautiful Planet”-A review
By Howard M. Wedgle
I went to the Phipps IMAX 3D Theatre this past Wednesday for the 1:00 showing of “A Beautiful Planet”. Before I talk about the movie, I must tell you in advance to go early, if you are going during the daytime. The Denver Museum of Nature & Science is very busy and parking is a little bit difficult.
I haven’t been to an IMAX movie here in quite some time. I figured that readers of this newsletter might not have been to this theater in awhile as well. Since I arrived in the theater at around 12:55pm, I didn’t get a seat in the middle, but still good. The theater was filled with grandparents, parents and kids.
The only real critique I have is the volume of the narration by Jennifer Lawrence. It really wasn’t loud enough, but the voice-overs from the astronauts were much better.
If you read the newsletter from this week, you’ll know that I have an interest in tracking the flyovers of the International Space Station, where most of the movie is filmed. The film shows incredible views of the Earth as well as a small insight into life on board the ISS, one of which is watching Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti drink one of the first espressos ever brewed in space. Buona Salute!
I think the biggest message of the movie, which is only about 45 minutes, is the environmental message with some politics thrown in. We have a lot of problems, but as Barry “Butch” Wilmore, one of the astronauts who helped film this movie said: “Life on Earth is like life on a space station. We all need to work together to keep it running”.
Trailer url:
The Juno mission-a follow up by Howard M. Wedgle
I had a great opportunity yesterday to speak with Steve Lee, the curator of Planetary Science at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science and Michael Hardegree-Ullman, who will be a senior at Rocky Mountain High School in Ft. Collins. Michael is part of a 23 person teen science scholars internship that the museum started a few years back. This program introduces students interested in science careers to various aspects of museum research and/or collections work and helps strengthen investigative and communication skills. It’s a terrific program and opportunity for these young people. [Read more…]
Juno enters Jupiter’s orbit by Howard Wedgle
A thump and the crowd goes wild!
After traveling 1.7 billion miles that began five years ago, Juno successfully entered Jupiter’s orbit to begin using its nine science instruments. This is the farthest a solar-powered spacecraft has traveled. It broke the record, which was held by the European Space Agency’s comet-chasing Rosetta mission, which traveled 492 million miles. Since it was European, I should say 792 million kilometers (instead of miles). [Read more…]