How Woodrow Wilson's propaganda machine changed American journalism

On the centennial of the creation of the Committee on Public Information, this article examines the launch of propaganda efforts by the U.S. federal government.https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-woodrow-wilsons-propaganda-machine-changed-american-journalism-180963082/Published versio

How American journalists covered the first use of the atomic bomb

https://theconversation.com/how-american-journalists-covered-the-first-use-of-the-atomic-bomb-45746Published versio

Hollywood shines a spotlight on real journalism

https://theconversation.com/hollywood-shines-a-spotlight-on-real-journalism-50343Published versio

A Decade of Dark Energy: 1998 - 2008

The years 1998 to 2008 were very exciting years for cosmology. It was a pleasure to accept this invitation to describe my contributions to the development of our knowledge and understanding of the universe over the course of the past decade. Here, I begin by describing some of my work on radio galaxies as a modified standard yardstick and go on to describe model-independent studies of the accelerating universe and the properties of the dark energy. During the course of these studies, I came upon interesting ways to study the spin and other properties of supermassive black holes, some of which are briefly mentioned.Comment: Proceedings of the 2008 UCLA Conference "Dark Matter and Dark Energy in the Universe," submitted to AIP Conference Proceedings, 6 page

Black Hole Spin Properties of 130 AGN

Supermassive black holes may be described by their mass and spin. When supermassive black holes are active, the activity provides a probe of the state of the black hole system. The spin of a hole can be estimated when the black hole mass and beam power of the source are known for sources with powerful outflows. Seventy-five sources for which both the black hole mass and beam power could be obtained are identified and used to obtain estimates of black hole spins. The 75 supermassive black holes studied include 52 FRII radio galaxies and 23 FRII radio loud quasars with redshifts ranging from about zero to two. The new values are combined with those obtained previously for 19 FRII radio galaxies, 7 FRII radio loud quasars, and 29 radio sources associated with CD galaxies to form samples of 71 FRII radio galaxies, 30 FRII quasars, and a total sample of 130 spin values; all of the sources are associated with massive elliptical galaxies. The new values obtained are similar to those obtained earlier at similar redshift, and range from about 0.1 to 1 for FRII sources. The overall results are consistent with those obtained previously: the spins tend to decrease with decreasing redshift for the FRII sources studied. There is a hint that the range of values of black hole spin at a given redshift is larger for FRII quasars than for FRII radio galaxies. There is no indication of a strong correlation between supermassive black hole mass and spin for the supermassive black holes studied here. The relation between beam power and black hole mass is obtained and used as a diagnostic of the outflows and the dependence of the magnetic field strength on black hole mass.Comment: 12 pages, 12 figures, 5 table

Spatially and Temporally Explicit Energy System Modelling to Support the Transition to a Low Carbon Energy Infrastructure – Case Study for Wind Energy in the UK

Renewable energy sources and electricity demand vary with time and space and the energy system is constrained by the location of the current infrastructure in place. The transitioning to a low carbon energy society can be facilitated by combining long term planning of infrastructure with taking spatial and temporal characteristics of the energy system into account. There is a lack of studies addressing this systemic view. We soft-link two models in order to analyse long term investment decisions in generation, transmission and storage capacities and the effects of short-term fluctuation of renewable supply: The national energy system model UKTM (UK TIMES model) and a dispatch model. The modelling approach combines the benefits of two models: an energy system model to analyse decarbonisation pathways and a power dispatch model that can evaluate the technical feasibility of those pathways and the impact of intermittent renewable energy sources on the power market. Results give us the technical feasibility of the UKTM solution from 2010 until 2050. This allows us to determine lower bounds of flexible elements and feeding them back in an iterative process (e.g. storage, demand side control, balancing). We apply the methodology to study the long-term investments of wind infrastructure in the United Kingdom

Trump: A solution in search of a problem

An analysis of Trump's view on "sovereignty."https://medium.com/@profdaly/trump-a-solution-in-search-of-a-problem-34d714346a3dPublished versio

Weaving a Colorful Life Tapestry: Serene Gratitude, Post-Traumatic Growth, and Breast Cancer

This literature review will serve as the foundation for a book proposal detailing my own life story. Every life is a beautiful tapestry woven together of colorful threads, each representing a unique component of an individual’s experience. Trauma and adversity of some sort are undoubtedly part of every tapestry, and mine is no different. Using my personal experience with breast cancer, I examine the concept of post-traumatic growth, recognizing that stress and growth often co-exist and do not negate each other. Cancer is widely recognized as a trauma and is unique because of the threat of recurrence, meaning that the trauma never fully resolves. Post-traumatic stress disorder is associated with cancer, with many survivors experiencing anxiety and depression. The possibility for growth through the experience also exists, with one outcome being an enhanced appreciation for life. I suggest that although adversity cannot be prevented or controlled, we can choose our response. I present a specific type of gratitude, serene gratitude, which can foster growth and appreciation for life following trauma. It is my hope that by sharing my story others might begin to examine the possibility for growth after trauma in their own lives