29 June 2008
News and Comments 06-29-08
Posted by Roy Bischoff under: What's News .
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11 Comments so far...
Cameron Says:
29 June 2008 at 8:09 am.
Scientists: Nothing to fear from atom-smasher
By DOUGLAS BIRCH, Associated Press Writer Sat Jun 28, 3:08 PM ET
MEYRIN, Switzerland – The most powerful atom-smasher ever built could make some bizarre discoveries, such as invisible matter or extra dimensions in space, after it is switched on in August.
But some critics fear the Large Hadron Collider could exceed physicists’ wildest conjectures: Will it spawn a black hole that could swallow Earth? Or spit out particles that could turn the planet into a hot dead clump?
Ridiculous, say scientists at the European Organization for Nuclear Research, known by its French initials CERN — some of whom have been working for a generation on the $5.8 billion collider, or LHC.
“Obviously, the world will not end when the LHC switches on,” said project leader Lyn Evans.
David Francis, a physicist on the collider’s huge ATLAS particle detector, smiled when asked whether he worried about black holes and hypothetical killer particles known as strangelets.
“If I thought that this was going to happen, I would be well away from here,” he said.
The collider basically consists of a ring of supercooled magnets 17 miles in circumference attached to huge barrel-shaped detectors. The ring, which straddles the French and Swiss border, is buried 330 feet underground.
The machine, which has been called the largest scientific experiment in history, isn’t expected to begin test runs until August, and ramping up to full power could take months. But once it is working, it is expected to produce some startling findings.
Scientists plan to hunt for signs of the invisible “dark matter” and “dark energy” that make up more than 96 percent of the universe, and hope to glimpse the elusive Higgs boson, a so-far undiscovered particle thought to give matter its mass.
The collider could find evidence of extra dimensions, a boon for superstring theory, which holds that quarks, the particles that make up atoms, are infinitesimal vibrating strings.
The theory could resolve many of physics’ unanswered questions, but requires about 10 dimensions — far more than the three spatial dimensions our senses experience.
The safety of the collider, which will generate energies seven times higher than its most powerful rival, at Fermilab near Chicago, has been debated for years. The physicist Martin Rees has estimated the chance of an accelerator producing a global catastrophe at one in 50 million — long odds, to be sure, but about the same as winning some lotteries.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080628/ap_on_re_eu/doomsday_collider
Hank Says:
29 June 2008 at 11:21 am.
I think we should leave creation to God. This article makes it sound fine but I’ve read some other things that put it in a different light. There are a number of scientists who feel this is dangerous. I don’t think it will destroy the world or anything like that but I do believe it could cause some problems.
Cameron Says:
29 June 2008 at 11:37 am.
Preparing the Battlefield
Late last year, Congress agreed to a request from President Bush to fund a major escalation of covert operations against Iran, according to current and former military, intelligence, and congressional sources. These operations, for which the President sought up to four hundred million dollars, were described in a Presidential Finding signed by Bush, and are designed to destabilize the country’s religious leadership. The covert activities involve support of the minority Ahwazi Arab and Baluchi groups and other dissident organizations. They also include gathering intelligence about Iran’s suspected nuclear-weapons program.
Clandestine operations against Iran are not new. United States Special Operations Forces have been conducting cross-border operations from southern Iraq, with Presidential authorization, since last year. These have included seizing members of Al Quds, the commando arm of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, and taking them to Iraq for interrogation, and the pursuit of “high-value targets” in the President’s war on terror, who may be captured or killed. But the scale and the scope of the operations in Iran, which involve the Central Intelligence Agency and the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), have now been significantly expanded, according to the current and former officials. Many of these activities are not specified in the new Finding, and some congressional leaders have had serious questions about their nature.
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/07/07/080707fa_fact_hersh
Joy Bischoff Says:
29 June 2008 at 11:45 am.
My friend Myrna Miller sent this and I thought it was great:
NEW PREAMBLE TO THE CONSTITUTION
attributed to State Representative Mitchell Kaye from
GA.
“We the sensible people of the United States, in an attempt to help
everyone get along, restore some semblance of justice, avoid more riots,
keep our nation safe, promote positive behavior, and secure the
blessings of debt-free liberty to ourselves and our
great-great-great-grandchildren, hereby try one more time to ordain and
establish some common sense guidelines for the terminally whiny, guilt
ridden, delusional, and other liberal bed-wetters. We hold these truths
to be self evident: that a whole lot of people are confused by the Bill
of Rights and are so dim they require a Bill of NON-Rights.”
ARTICLE I: You do not have the right to a new car, big screen TV, or any
other form of wealth. More power to you if you can legally acquire them,
but no one is guaranteeing anything.
ARTICLE II: You do not have the right to never be offended. This country
is based on freedom, and that means freedom for everyone — not just
you! You may leave the room, turn the channel, express a different
opinion, etc.; but the world is full of idiots, and probably always will
be.
ARTICLE III: You do not have the right to be free from harm. If you
stick a screwdriver in your eye, learn to be more careful; do not expect
the tool manufacturer to make you and all your relatives independently
wealthy.
ARTICLE IV: You do not have the right to free food and housing.
Americans are the most charitable people to be found, and will gladly
help anyone in need, but we are quickly growing weary of subsidizing
gene ration after generation of professional couch potatoes who achieve
nothing more than the creation of another generation of professional
couch potatoes. (This one is my pet peeve…get an education and go to
work….don’t expect everyone else to take care of you!)
ARTICLE V: You do not have the right to free health care. That would be
nice, but from the looks of public housing, we’re just not interested in
public health care..
ARTICLE VI: You do not have the right to physically harm other people.
If you kidnap, rape, intentionally maim, or kill someone, don’t be
surprised if the rest of us want to see you fry in the electric chair.
ARTICLE VII: You do not have the right to the possessions of others. If
you rob, cheat, or coerce away the goods or services of other citizens,
don’t be surprised if the rest of us get together and lock you away in a
place where you still won’t have the right to a big screen color TV or a
life of leisure.
ARTICLE VIII: You do not have the right to a job.. All of us sure want
you to have a job, and will gladly help you along in hard times, but we
expect you to take advantage of the opportunities of education and
vocational training laid before you to make yourself useful. (AMEN!)
ARTICLE IX: You do not have the right to happiness. Being an American
means that you have the right to PURSUE happiness, which by the way, is
a lot easier if you are unencumbered by an over abundance of idiotic
laws created by those of you who were confused by the Bill of Rights.
ARTICLE X: This is an English speaking country. We don’t care where you
are from, English is our language. Learn it or go back to wherever you
came from! (Lastly….)
ARTICLE XI: You do not have the right to change our country’s history or
heritage. This country was founded on the belief in one true God. And
yet, you are given the freedom to believe in any religion, any faith, or
no faith at all; with no fear of persecution. The phrase IN GOD WE TRUST
is part of our heritage and history, and if you are uncomfortable with
it, TOUGH!!!! GET OVER IT !!!
E.E. Says:
29 June 2008 at 11:49 am.
The last one about changing our country’s history reminds me of Orwell’s 1984. It is soooo happening. Accuracy goes out the window for political correctness even though a new history has to be invented to make it work.
Bryon Says:
29 June 2008 at 2:45 pm.
That should be posted at every post office, office, grocery store, and poor house in the country. I know some people just get bad luck and need a leg up but some homeless don’t want a leg up. They want pity and an easy meal.
Libertarian Says:
29 June 2008 at 2:55 pm.
Good idea. Maybe they don’t know they are that way because no one has told it to them to their face. But then again maybe they don’t care.
Tony Says:
30 June 2008 at 10:06 pm.
i am with you Bryon, we should print it off and hang it up around here…. this bill of non-rights is awesome and so right.
my fav article is number ten or x
ENGLISH PLEASE!!
Cavetrollhead Says:
30 June 2008 at 11:42 pm.
Federal budget amounts and designees:
- $450,000: Baseball Hall of Fame
- $97,000: Franco-American Heritage Center, Lewiston, Maine
- $25,000: Develop curriculum to study mariachi music, Clark County School District, Nevada
- $350,000: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, Cleveland, Ohio
- $150,000: Therapeutic Horseback Riding Program, Lady B. Ranch, California
- $950,000: Please Touch Museum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- $250,000: Police Activities League Center, Anaheim, California
- $2,000,000: Kitchen Relocation, Fairbanks (Alaska) North Star Borough
- $250,000: Alaska Statehood Celebration, University of Alaska
- $250,000: Country Music Hall of Fame, Nashville, Tennessee
- $121,250: Demolition, Broadview Heights, Ohio
- $99,000: Train students in the motorsports industry, Patrick Henry Community College
- $50,000: Workforce development, Fashion Business, Inc., Los Angeles, California
- $100,000: Municipal swimming pool, Ottawa, Kansas
- $100,000: Amer-I-Can program for youth, Illinois
- $300,000: Relocate the Waynesboro, Mississippi Police Department
- $250,000: Camp Police Athletic League of New Jersey
- $35,000: Alabama Sports Hall of Fame
- $100,000: National Association of Promoting Success
- $175,000: Love Social Services, Fairbanks, Alaska
- $51,000: Robert E. Lee Community Center, Chase City, Virginia
- $150,000: Grammy Foundation
- $167,000: Horn Fly Research in Alabama
- $72,750: Public swimming pool construction, Prescott, Alaska
- $300,000: Revitalize downtown Council Bluffs, Iowa
- $500,000: Beyond Missing
- $75,000: Greater Syracuse Sports Hall of Fame, New York
- $100,000: High Falls Film Festival, Rochester, New York
- $291,000: International Museum of Women, San Francisco, California
- $300,000: Streetlights and salt dome, Markham, Illinois
- $1,500,000: Transport naturally chilled water from Lake Ontario to Lake Onondaga
- $250,000: City pool renovation and construction, Banning, California
- $250,000: Construct the Great Falls Parking Garage, Auburn, Maine
- $6,285,000: Wood utilization research across several states
- $200,000: Aviation Hall of Fame
- $500,000: Equipment purchases, KENW public radio station, Portales, New Mexico
- $100,000: “No Workshops, No Jumpshots,” Virginia
- $200,000: Audie Murphy/American Cotton Museum, Greenville, Texas
- $275,000: National History Museum of the Adirondacks, Tupper Alaska
- $150,000: Obscenity Crimes Project
- $100,000: Breedlove Dehydrated Foods, Lubbock, Texas
- $50,000: Feral hog control in Missouri
- $250,000: Traffic calming, Windermere, Florida
- $500,000: Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City
- $250,000: North Creek Ski Bowl, North Creek, New York
- $1,750,000: Parents Anonymous
- $1,500,000: Wood products wastewater repairs Canton, North Carolina
- $150,000: Fishing Rationalization Research in Alaska
- $1,500,000: Anchorage Museum/Transit intermodal depot, Alaska
- $500,000: Center for the Living Arts, Alabama
- $500,000: B&O Railroad Museum Restoration, Maryland
- $250,000: Surplus federal property study, Walla Walla, Washington
- $98,000: Alaska Sea Otter Commission
- $200,000: Dennison Railroad Depot Museum, Ohio
- $2,500,000: Horse Springs Ranch, New Mexico
- $150,000: “Parent Intern” program, Our House, Inc., Decatur, Georgia
- $3,000,000: Center for Grape Genetics, Geneva, New York
- $150,000: Coca-Cola Space Science Center, Columbus, Georgia
- $100,000: Punxsutawney (Pennsylvania) Weather Museum
- $280,000: Sidewalks, street furniture and façade improvements, Bakersfield, California
- $1,000,000: B.B. King Museum Foundation, Indianola, Mississippi
- $250,000: A day care center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota
- $268,000: Livestock waste research in Iowa
- $350,000: Project Peacemaker, Turtle Mountain Community College, North Dakota
- $200,000: Wallace State Center for Automotive Manufacturing and Plastics, Hanceville, Alabama
- $160,000: Seafood waste in Alaska
- $1,108,000: Alternative salmon products in Alaska
- $796,000: Ice Age National Scientific Reserve
- $42,124: Citrus waste utilization in Florida
- $50,000: Wild rice research in Minnesota
- $300,000: Wool research
- $100,000: Trees Forever Program, Iowa
- $1,800,000: Eider and sea otter recovery at Alaska Sea Life Center
- $1,000,000: Trailways Station Revitalization and Visitors Center, Georgia
- $3,500,000: Bus acquisition in Atlanta
- $1,000,000: Clean fuel shuttle buses in Atlanta
- $750,000: Broward/Palm Beach County buses, Florida
- $2,000,000: Replace buses in Chapel Hill, North Carolina
- $200,000: YMCA bus, Alabama
- $25,000: Fitness equipment, YMCA of Bradford County, Pennsylvania
- $921,000: Hardwood tree improvement and regeneration, Indiana
- $350,000: Leafy spurge eradication in North Dakota
- $10,000: Slickspot Peppergrass
- $500,000: Chugach NF Valdez visitor center, Alaska
- $2,300,000: Animal Waste Management Research Laboratory, Bowling Green, Kentucky
- $515,000: Brown tree snake management in Guam
- $3,000,000: Grape Genomics Research Center, Davis, California
- $347,000: Grapefruit juice/drug interaction research, Florida
- $63,000: Noxious Weed in the Desert Southwest, Las Cruces, New Mexico
- $470,000: Swine and other animal waste management research, North Carolina
- $150,000: “Check ‘Em Out” program
- $750,000: Close Up Foundation
- $100,000: Marine turtles program
- $430,000: Automotive technology and repair workforce training, Excel Institute, Washington, D.C.
- $100,000: Pennsylvania Hunting and Fishing Museum, Warren, Pennsylvania
- $1,250,000: Train-to-Mountain, Washington
- $150,000: Alaska Botanical Garden
- $250,000: Boardwalk in Brookings Harbor, Oregon
- $200,000: Brookings Harbor Seafood Processing Plant, Oregon
- $800,000: Improve a historic building in Las Vegas, Nevada
- $500,000: Kincaid Park Soccer and Nordic Ski Center, Anchorage, Alaska
- $100,000: National Railway Museum, Green Bay, Wisconsin
- $900,000: Tongass Coast Aquarium, Ketchikan Alaska
The total amount of waste on this pork barrel spending (so our oil barrel costs can go out of sight): $60,652,124.00 of your money and my money spent on projects far less important to the American people than finding an alternative source of energy.
Thanks to the United Citizens of America for access to their excellent statistics.” (Marilyn Barnewall/WorldNetDaily.com 9/9/05)
Ghost Says:
30 June 2008 at 11:48 pm.
Cave, sadly I guess after reading your post, I have to admit pork is worse than I thought. I can think of so many worthy causes under funded like fixing bridges and roads. This is sick.
Terrie Soberg Says:
1 July 2008 at 9:17 am.
$50,000: Wild rice research in Minnesota–Hey! We’ve been reamed!
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