When NASA's space shuttle Endeavour lands at the California Science Center in Los Angeles this fall, it will be displayed in a temporary exhibit, and later a new museum facility named for an entrepreneur, explorer and philanthropist.
The California Science Center (CSC) announced last week that it was naming its space shuttle display pavilion and planned Air and Space Center after the late Samuel Oschin. The exhibit's dedication was made in appreciation for a "transformational gift" from the Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Oschin Family Foundation, which was founded in 1981 to support a variety of causes related to astronomy, the arts, medicine, advocacy, and education.
"We're tremendously grateful to receive this extraordinary gift," Jeffrey Rudolph, president of the California Science Center, said in a statement. "Combined with the generous support already provided by foundations, individuals, and corporations throughout our community, we are now close to the halfway point in achieving our $200 million [Team Endeavour] campaign goal."
Launch pad for creativity
With Endeavour standing vertically as its centerpiece, the Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center will invite guests to investigate scientific and engineering principles related to atmospheric flight and the exploration of the universe. [Gallery: Shuttle Endeavour Construction Photos]
"Integrating hands-on exhibits to encourage active learning and a unique collection of aircraft and spacecraft, this new facility will be a launch pad for creativity and innovation," Rudolph said. "It'll inspire the next generation of explorers and scientists and strengthen the science center's ability to stimulate curiosity and inspire science learning."
While the air and space center is developed over the next five years, the youngest of NASA's winged orbiters will be exhibited in the Samuel Oschin Space Shuttle Endeavour Display Pavilion, which will open this fall. A NASA Boeing 747 jumbo jetliner is scheduled to ferry Endeavour to Los Angeles in September. Soon after, the shuttle will be transported over land to the science center.
Dedicated dreamer
"Today pays tribute first and foremost to my husband, and his passion for discovery, philanthropy, and the pursuit of knowledge," Lynda Oschin said. "This is Sam's vision and represents truly everything my husband dreamed, loved and believed in."
Samuel Oschin dedicated himself to improving the quality of life in the Los Angeles community. His success in a range of enterprises, from manufacturing to real estate, enabled his adventures to Africa, the North Pole, the Amazon and a 100-mile trek retracing Hannibal's crossing of the Alps.
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa came to the CSC to thank the Oschin Family Foundation for their support.
"On behalf of the City of Los Angeles, I express heartfelt thanks," Villaraigosa remarked. "Their generous donation ensures that space shuttle Endeavour has a world-class facility in which to reside, a place that will inspire youth to dream of future space exploration, stimulating science and math education for generations, and stimulating tourism to Los Angeles along with it."
Visit shuttles.collectspace.com for continuing coverage of the delivery and display of NASA's retired space shuttles.
Follow collectSPACE on Facebook and Twitter @collectSPACE and editor Robert Pearlman @robertpearlman. Copyright 2012 collectSPACE.com. All rights reserved.
- How NASA Flies Space Shuttles on 747 Jets (Photos)
- End of the Space Shuttle Ferry Era - Final Flights | Video
- NASA's Space Shuttle Museum Flights: Complete Coverage
Source: news.yahoo.com
Immigrants rally at California Capitol for rights of domestic workers - Sacramento Bee
Neira Ortega said she left Oaxaca, Mexico, 15 years ago for a better life in California. She said she didn't realize she would end up a virtual prisoner in her employer's Chula Vista home.
"I had to go to work Sunday night and work until Friday night for $60 a week," Ortega said Monday at a Capitol rally. "I wasn't allowed to leave the house to buy my own food. I had to eat canned food. I couldn't go to take classes."
Ortega, 40, told her story to about 400 people, many of them domestic workers, who gathered at the Capitol to celebrate California's 16th annual Immigrant Day.
They rallied for the rights of domestic workers, better health care for older immigrants, protections for children whose parents have been deported and half a dozen another pending bills that would affect life for California's immigrant workers.
"Immigrants make up 40 percent of California's population and a third of our workforce, close to 8 million people," said Aparna Shah, director of Mobilize the Immigrant Vote.
Given their numbers, Shah said, the state should ensure immigrants are afforded the same rights and protections as all Californians.
Ortega now cleans houses in Livermore for about $90 a week. But she and other domestic workers were excluded from the 1938 Fair Labor Standards Act that guaranteed other workers overtime pay, and meal and rest breaks, said Andrea Mercado, organizer for the Bay Area-based Mujeres Unidas y Activas.
Among the bills touted at the rally was Assembly Bill 889, by Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, D-San Francisco, which would extend similar protections to California's 200,000 domestic workers, nannies and caregivers. AB 889 would guarantee domestic workers 30-minute meal breaks after five hours of work, 10-minute rest breaks after four hours of work, eight hours of uninterrupted sleep for live-in workers, free kitchen privileges for those who work more than five hours, overtime pay and worker's compensation.
"California's great because of the sweat of many people – they clean your toilets, babysit your children," Ammiano told the crowd. "We want an end to the servitude. They have a right not be held prisoner, not to be underpaid or mistreated."
AB 889 cleared the Assembly last year and has been stalled in the Senate since August. It is opposed by AARP, nanny agencies, the California Chamber of Commerce and Disability Rights California, among other groups. Opponents argue the bill would increase costs for people who can least afford it: frail seniors, people with disabilities and working families.
About 367,000 of the Sacramento region's residents were born outside the United States, a figure that grew by 40 percent in the last decade. Asian immigrants make up the largest group, followed by those from Latin America and Eastern Europe.
Statewide, 10.2 million Californians were born outside the United States, more than one of every four of the state's residents.
© Copyright The Sacramento Bee. All rights reserved.
Call The Bee's Stephen Magagnini, (916) 321-1072.
• Read more articles by Stephen Magagnini
Source: www.sacbee.com
No comments:
Post a Comment