They came for Wyatt Outlaw in the dark of night. Burning torches lit their white robes and hoods‚ masking their identities but illuminating the evil intentions in their hearts. They snatched Outlaw from his home in front of his family‚ dragged him down Main Street in Graham‚ N.C.‚ mutilated his body‚ and hanged him from a tree in the courthouse square. His “crime” was being a Black man active in the Union League and holding public office in Alamance County. His death was recorded as “misadventure” at the hands of persons unknown.  Fergus Bordewich Depredations like this and worse occurred by the thousands throughout the violent South against newly freed African Americans in the years after the Civil War‚ perpetrated by White supremacist groups collectively known as the Ku Klux Klan. In Klan War: Ulysses S. Grant and the Battle to Save Reconstruction (Knopf‚ 2023)‚ Fergus M. Bordewich chronicle this devastating chapter in American history and the determined efforts by President Ulysses Grant to break the violent grip of the Klan during Reconstruction. Hard-won legislation‚ championed by Grant‚ and the dedicated efforts of resilient federal judges and juries backed by the gleam of Union Army bayonets broke the power of the Klan. But unlike Grant’s Civil War campaigns‚ the victory was not decisive. The seeds of domestic terrorism cultivated after the war have periodically found fertile ground in American society during times of social and political turbulence. Bordewich’s book is excellent history and a timely warning. Why did you decide to do a book about Grant’s war against the Klan?   “Klan War” evolved naturally from several of my previous books in which I wrote about the significance of slavery and race in the Early Republic‚ the development of the Underground Railroad‚ the Compromise of 1850‚ and most recently in the Civil War‚ in “Congress at War.” I wanted to show what homegrown American terrorism looked like‚ how it was defeated by Grant‚ and what its consequences were.  Much ink has been spilled about the supposed failures of Ulysses S. Grant’s presidential administrations. Should the efficacy of his presidency be reevaluated in light of his war against the Klan?  Definitely‚ it should. Grant’s deep personal commitment to the extension of full citizenship and human rights to Black Americans made his one of the most ambitious and consequential presidencies in our history. Overall‚ his presidency was mixed: as is well known‚ some members of his administration were corrupt‚ his efforts to acquire Santo Domingo did not succeed‚ and his enlightened Indian policy did not ultimately prevail. But after Reconstruction‚ his reputation was ruthlessly destroyed both by resurgent advocates of the Lost Cause and their Democratic allies‚ who disdained him precisely because of his commitment to Black civil rights and Reconstruction. How important was Nathan Bedford Forrest in the formation‚ organization‚ and spread of the Ku Klux Klan?  Forrest was a wealthy prewar slave-dealer and a war criminal as well as a talented cavalry commander. But he was not the founder of the Klan. He was recruited by its early organizers to serve as its first “Grand Wizard.” Traveling around the South‚ he served as a sort of reactionary Johnny Appleseed: wherever he went‚ new Klan “dens” sprang up behind him‚ and violence soon followed. Most probably‚ he also encouraged the Klan to develop the guerilla cavalry tactics that were its trademark. Of course‚ those tactic were used not against soldiers but against unarmed‚ helpless‚ and isolated freed people and white Republicans.  How does Grant’s war against the Klan equate to a battle to save Reconstruction?  Without Grant’s decisiveness‚ both military and legal‚ the Klan would have continued to overwhelm the embryonic two-party system in the former Confederate states. The Klan’s political goal was to destroy biracial democracy in the South; Grant’s was to protect it. When the Klan was finally faced by federal soldiers instead of hapless civilians‚ it caved.   Most people associate Klan depredations being inflicted against poor‚ rural‚ uneducated Blacks. You argue that the opposite is true. Explain.  Many rural freed people were certainly victims of the Klan. But the Klan’s primary target was the new class of (mostly) once-enslaved men who rose to positions of local and later county and statewide political leadership. Their “ignorance” is a racist trope. Many were at least as well educated as their white neighbors. Some had university educations. White Republicans were also targets of the Klan. The last thing that southern reactionaries wanted to see was viable biracial government in which Blacks exhibited equal or even superior talent to white men.  What was it about the Klan that attracted prominent White community leaders to its ranks?  There’s a common idea that the Klan was made up of hoodlums‚ louts‚ and thugs. Such men did join the Klan‚ along with poor white farmers and other workingmen. But it was founded and almost everywhere led by the so-called “better class” of men in their communities‚ commonly former Confederate officers‚ landowners‚ lawyers‚ doctors‚ even journalists and ministers. Such men saw themselves as the “natural” leaders in their communities. Their stated goal was to permanently enshrine white supremacy‚ a term which Klan members proudly embraced.  You argue that by 1872 the organized Klan was in retreat. Why wasn’t its defeat decisive?   Once Grant broke the Klan as an organized movement‚ northern interest in the South’s problems rapidly waned. Especially after 1874‚ funding for both occupation troops and federal prosecutors shriveled‚ as white supremacist “redeemers” steadily recaptured state governments. With reactionary Democrats in control‚ terrorism was no longer necessary to subvert the rights of the freed people. That would now be done mainly by political means.   Who were the front-line heroes in Grant’s war against the Klan?  While many federal soldiers and law officers struggled heroically against the Klan‚ two stand out. Major Lewis Merrill of the 7th Cavalry led the crackdown on the most Klan-infested counties of South Carolina. A West Point graduate with legal training and a sterling record hunting down Confederate guerrillas in Missouri during the Civil War‚ he was the perfect man for the job. Keeping the Klan on the run with his veteran troops and penetrating it with spies‚ he secured thousands of arrests. On the legal side‚ Grant’s attorney general‚ Amos Akerman‚ a passionately committed Georgia Republican‚ brought immense energy to the prosecution of the Klan.  You warn that the Klan bequeathed to America a model for using terrorism as a means of social control. Are we hearing echoes of the 1870s in our current social and political discourse?  My book is one of history‚ not present-day politics. But a few conclusions are inescapable. The United States is not so exceptional that it is somehow absolved from the potential for organized terrorist violence of the type we have seen in other countries. The story of Reconstruction and the Klan war further demonstrates that rights that we take for granted—as freedmen did in the 1870s—can be taken away again. There are forces in today’s America that have the potential to undermine our most basic democratic processes and institutions‚ as we saw on January 6‚ 2021. We must remain vigilant if we are not to let our democracy slip through our fingers. This article first appeared in America’s Civil War magazine See more stories SubscriBE NOW!  

We present you funny dog posts from Dec 31 to Jan 06 that will paws-itively make you through the rest of the week!

A Pennsylvania dog shocked his parents after eating the $4000 cash that was sitting on the family home's kitchen counter on December 08.

You Won't Believe What They Are Doing in Philadelphia

Obama's Advice to Biden Campaign: Don't Run Everything Through the White House

The city of Lexington‚ Kentucky has sent a message via laser to the TRAPPIST-1 system‚ officially in the hope of attracting tourists from one of the many Earth-like planets there. Some may suspect the real agenda is to attract visitors from closer to home‚ but we’ll let you be the judge of that.There’s plenty of debate as to whether humanity should be trying to make contact with aliens‚ lest alerting them to our presence sparks an invasion. Stephen Hawking was just one of those who considered the risk too great. Others think aliens are unlikely to do anything worse to us than we are doing to ourselves‚ and we should seek their advice on how to build advanced technology that doesn’t make the planet uninhabitable.      In the lead-up to Christmas‚ tourism agency VisitLEX placed a powerful laser beam at the Kentucky Horse Park and pointed it at the TRAPPIST-1 system‚ in the direction of Aquarius. The laser’s pulse converts into a picture that includes some prime numbers‚ perhaps in case they think we invented lasers without knowing primes. Also included are images of the periodic table with the elements most essential for Earth-life marked‚ diagrams of some of our favorite molecules‚ and encouragement to drop in on Lexington. All this is packed into a Bitmap‚ followed by scenes and music from the area.The image resembles (or might be seen as a parody of) one sent out by the Arecibo Telescope in 1974. However‚ the Aricebo message was basically a proof of what humans are capable of. The destination was globular cluster M13. In the unlikely event anyone received‚ decoded‚ and replied to it‚ the round trip would be 42‚000 years – you’d be brave to bet humans would still be around to need to fear the consequences.Lexington showing off its traditional image‚ and aspects of the high-tech hub it wishes to become.Image Credit: VisitLEXTRAPPIST-1‚ on the other hand‚ is only 39 light years away. The VisitLEX website counts down the days‚ and indeed even the minutes‚ until the message reaches its destination. It’s likely anyone (or anything) enticed by the message will take far longer to get here‚ but potentially‚ the first bookings could be made in less than 80 years‚ which Dr Robert Lodder of the University of Kentucky noted would be within “somebody’s lifetime”.No one knows if any of the TRAPPIST-1 planets support life‚ let alone technological civilizations. However‚ there are 3-4 rocky planets in the habitable zone. With the system being at least a billion years older than ours‚ there’s been plenty of time for spaceflight-capable aliens to evolve.SETI scientists and linguists provide their own tongue-in-cheek commentary on why anyone who has voyaged across the vastness of space for decades or centuries should skip more famous cities and make Lexington their first stop.      Lexington Kentucky has styled itself the “Horse Capital of the World”. When seeking to draw in visitors‚ they traditionally rely on equines‚ bourbon‚ and bluegrass. Unsurprisingly‚ these feature prominently on the accompanying website‚ and there’s a nod to each in the message itself. On the other hand‚ the whole event is perhaps a sign that the home to the University of Kentucky is trying to broaden its image‚ featuring the Living Arts and Science Center and the Explorium children’s museum. Curiously‚ being the resting place of the real Cocaine Bear doesn’t figure. Perhaps they think aliens are not up on popular films.A small crowd of Lexington enthusiasts came out to celebrate the sending of the image. They'll be sorry if the aliens decide they like what they see so much they invade‚ but then we all will.Image Credit: VisitLEXVisitLEX got FAA approval for the message‚ presumably because whoever ticked the box figured they would not only be retired but dead before any consequences were experienced. “Lexington would be a great place to make first contact‚" Lodder said on the VisitLEX website. "You can land your spacecraft here. You can see the Bluegrass. You may even be able to ride a horse‚ depending on how big you are.”

We're sorry to inform you that you probably have herpes. The good news‚ should you choose to view it that way‚ is that you’re in good company. Well over 3 billion people around the world are thought to be carriers of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1)‚ which means that a decent proportion of them will be all too familiar with the dreaded tingling sensation that heralds the onset of a cold sore. We know that this pesky virus is the cause – but can you also blame your genes?What are cold sores?Cold sores are blisters that form on the face‚ often around the lip area. Over the course of about 10 days‚ the blister will form‚ burst‚ and scab over. While not usually dangerous‚ cold sores can be painful and irritating. They’re also highly contagious‚ which is why it’s vital to avoid kissing and performing oral sex until the sore has healed‚ and to wash your hands after touching the area. This is particularly important in the case of newborn babies and young children. If someone with an active cold sore kisses a baby‚ there’s a chance they can pass on the herpes virus to the little one‚ causing what can be a life-threatening infection thanks to their underdeveloped immune systems.But despite people’s best efforts‚ HSV-1 is a tricky customer. It’s become so common within the adult population because a lot of people simply don’t realize they have it and spread it around without knowing. What causes cold sores?Once you have HSV-1 inside your cells‚ there’s no getting rid of it. Much of the time‚ it lies dormant in clusters of nerve cells‚ but various factors can trigger its activation.These factors will be different for different people‚ but common ones include:Another illness‚ injury‚ or undergoing surgeryMedical treatment that weakens the immune system‚ such as cancer chemotherapyExposure to the SunStressMenstruationNot everyone who is a carrier of HSV-1 will experience cold sores. Until quite recently‚ scientists were unsure why this is the case‚ but now research appears to show that it could all be down to your genes.Are cold sores genetic?Cold sores are not genetic in the way we might think of a genetic disease – conditions that are passed from parents to their children via genetic mutations‚ such as cystic fibrosis or hemophilia. But that doesn’t mean that your genes don’t play a role.Research suggests that the unlucky few who go on to develop recurrent cold sores after infection with HSV-1 have genetically predetermined factors that affect how well their immune system can respond to the virus.In a letter published in The Journal Of Infectious Disease in 2008‚ two researchers outlined data they had gathered a decade prior that suggested the gene for a protein called apolipoprotein E-4 – more often associated with Alzheimer’s disease – is linked to cold sore risk.In 2013‚ scientists screened thousands of genes and identified several that help the immune system mount a defense against HSV-1 activation. One of these genes‚ IL28b‚ was found to be mutated in patients who suffer from cold sores. Another study in 2014 described a gene that’s been helpfully named Cold Sore Susceptibility Gene-1‚ which appears to do exactly what it says on the tin. Slight variations in the sequence of this gene can affect whether someone is more or less likely to get frequent cold sores once they’ve been infected with HSV-1. Recent genetic research has also been able to delve into the history of HSV-1 in humans‚ with one study suggesting it probably all kicked off when we started kissing each other. “[S]omething happened around five thousand years ago that allowed one strain of herpes to overtake all others‚ possibly an increase in transmissions‚ which could have been linked to kissing‚” explained co-senior study author Dr Christiana Scheib in a statement at the time. The first recorded kiss in humans can be traced back 4‚500 years‚ but we can’t say for sure that our ancestors weren’t locking lips before that. “In fact‚ research into bonobos and chimpanzees‚ the closest living relatives to humans‚ has shown that both species engage in kissing‚” said Dr Sophie Lund Rasmussen‚ co-author of an article about the history of kissing‚ in a 2023 statement. Rasmussen and first author Troels Pank Arbøll went on to explain in their paper that‚ as neat an explanation as it may be‚ it’s probably a step too far to simply blame an upsurge in ancient tonsil hockey for all of our cold sore misery today. It’s an uncomfortable truth that nearly all of us will be exposed to HSV-1 at some point. For an unlucky subset of people‚ that means a lifetime of dealing with the periodic annoyance of a cold sore – and for most of them‚ as scientists are continuing to explore‚ it’s likely that their genes are to blame. All “explainer” articles are confirmed by fact checkers to be correct at time of publishing. Text‚ images‚ and links may be edited‚ removed‚ or added to at a later date to keep information current. 

There’s a universal truth that both children and animals adore receiving new toys. It’s a crucial aspect of their development‚ offering them innovative ways to engage with their environment. This interaction is not just fun but also instrumental in developing essential life skills. For one baby panda at the San Diego Zoo‚ a large green... The post Caretakers tell baby panda it’s time to ‘put ball away’ and adorable tantrum melts hearts appeared first on Animal Channel.