Neutrinos surpass the speed of light

Scientists at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) have measured neutrinos (subatomic particles) traveling faster than the speed of light. The experiment was repeated more than fifteen thousand times with the same result.

Scientists are proceeding cautiously: they are seeking further, independent study in an attempt to discover what, if anything, went wrong before pronouncing Einstein’s theories outdated…

For more information check out CERN’s Announcement

Photo from CERN’s site

 

9/11: ten years later…

After waking up this morning I turned on the TV, from which, a talking head informed me that “…in three days it will be the tenth anniversary of 9/11, the day the world changed.” He then went on to explain how the world has changed since 9/11, and his monologue began to infect me; the walls of my home closed in like a folding trap.

I escaped out the patio door to breathe the fresh morning air and water the plants…

The sun was just rising; shades of peach and apricot washed over the horizon, but a few persistent, faded stars were visible in the cerulean heavens; a crystalline bead of water was cradled on a maple leaf, and a delicate vein of the leaf was magnified through the droplet; small, speckled finches whispered through the leaves of the bushes and occasionally the birds proffered a diminutive sonnet to announce dawn’s first blush; and one of our cats trilled and rubbed against my leg.

No matter what we humans do, the universe, undaunted, maintains its intrepid, benign evolution.

I went back inside, but left the patio door open. I turned off the TV, made and drank my morning coffee, and let the mood of nature seep in. Each calm, fresh breath was a miracle, and I decided to fully enjoy each inexplicable moment.

 

The Missing Unicorn

Camomile Hixon is searching for a unicorn.

Visit the missing unicorn site for more information

 

The Common Sense Party?

I’ve been thinking again (it hurts a bit, but I’ll soldier through).

It seems to me that we — in Canada — have given our government too much freedom. There is no feedback mechanism to keep the politicians from being unreasonable, and our democratic power seems to be limited to the right to vote. There is power in numbers, but we have no organizational group to focus the majority.

A couple of things that bother me (there are others, but I like to keep my posts short…):

• Somehow, the government borrowed money from our own banks and taxpayers have to pay it back. Payment for the interest on our debt is the largest single federal spending item. I don’t like the fact that somebody else borrowed money irresponsibly and I have to help pay it back.
• Members of Parliament receive handsome pensions after only 6 years of service, and the pension fund — unlike private pension funds — is not managed prudently; rather, it is fully funded by taxpayers. Private sector pensions are less lucrative and require lengthy service; moreover, private sector pensions are disappearing because they are unsustainable. Public sector pensions should mirror the private sector: reform is necessary, and an explanation of how this sort of padded perk arose should be forthcoming.

Perhaps somebody should create a Common Sense Party.

Perhaps all we need is a watchdog bureau that sits over our government and performs a sanity check on important issues. Or maybe we should insist on the right to vote on important issues to ensure the majority is being served.

I think our government (no matter what party is in power) has shown the potential to become reckless (financially and otherly), and I don’t really trust them anymore (okay, to be honest, I never did). We need some method to ensure they are serving the interests of the majority.

 

The Toaster Project

So. A guy named Thomas Thwaites decided to build his own toaster. From scratch. At first he was going to use nothing but pre-industrial tools, but he discovered that it was impossible (or, at best, highly improbable).

He required the following materials:

• Copper, for the electric plug, cord, and wiring.
• Iron, for the steel grilling device and the ‘pop-up’ spring.
• Nickel, for the heating element.
• Mica (the heating element is wound around it)
• And plastic, for the plug and cord, “and for the all important sleek looking casing.”

He even, for example, mined his own iron-ore to make his steel.

He has a book documenting the project (coming out this fall).

For more information, visit the website: http://www.thetoasterproject.org/

I first heard about this on CBC Radio’s Spark program

 

Thich Nhat Hanh

This afternoon my wife, Catherine, and I went to a public talk by Thich Nhat Hanh  (pronounced Tik N’yat Hawn) at the Orpheum in Vancouver (Open Mind, Open Heart: Touching the Wonders of Now).

The program consisted of:

• Mindfulness Practise Songs and Guided Meditation by the Monastics of Plum Village
• Welcoming Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh by Professor Jessica Main
• Healing Chant of Blessing
• Lecture by Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh
• Vote of Thanks by Professor Jessica Main

Thich Nhat Hanh is one of my favorite Buddhist writers, and it was amazing to be able to see and hear him in person (well, with 2,700 other people…). I feel blessed by his presence; people like Thich Nhat Hanh reaffirm my optimism for the future.

 

 

Toward a better world?

As I perused the news my mind spiraled into uncertainty:

Financial crises in Portugal, Ireland, Greece and Spain (PIGS)

Economic uncertainty in the USA.

Rioting in London.

Natural disasters.

Global warming.

Et cetera…

When things are bleakest, I like to put on my rose-colored glasses and try to imagine what we should be doing…

• act as a global species and care for the planet and each other.
• figure out why so many of us are unhappy (which leads to depression, anger, and violence) and do something about the unhappiness.
• prepare long-term political solutions that are not intended to ensure the rich get richer
• create a United Nations that is what it sounds like it is…
• work together, without regard for financial gains, for the betterment of the world.
• realize that Capitalism (at least its experiment in the western world) is failing, and formulate the next step in economic evolution
• appoint altruistic leaders who are not motivated by short-term gains
• start listening to, and become motivated by, our spiritual leaders (not necessarily the religious leaders).

I wax philosophic within my aging mind; however, it’s like the old song by Ten Years After:

“I’d love to change the world/ but I don’t know what to do/ so I’ll leave it up to you…”

I believe we’re closing in on a tipping-point. How we deal with it is up to all of us.

 

Somalia Famine

Severe drought conditions are creating a food crisis throughout the Horn of Africa: more than ten million lives are threatened. Somalia is the worst affected due to internal conflicts and insecurity in the region.

The UNHCR (the UN refugee agency) is negotiating for an improved security agreement with armed rebels in Somalia to facilitate the delivery of assistance and to prevent a larger congregation of refugees in extremely overcrowded centers. Al Shabaab, Islamist insurgents affiliated to al-Qaida, said last week that they would allow foreign aid agencies into controlled areas, which is a reversal of their ban imposed two years ago.

There are reports that, in some areas, one out of two children under the age of five is suffering from malnutrition.

A great deal of the suffering is a consequence of politics, extremism, greed, and ignorance.

I just don’t understand why our species is so messed up (well, I suppose I do understand, but I still don’t quite ‘get it’). I must have been shorted an important gene. Why can’t we all work together for a better world? Let’s be proactive instead of reactive.

If we shared the wealth and resources of the world everyone would have an equal opportunity to live healthy and productive lives (it would also help if we could rid the world of extremism…). Sorry, my idealism is showing; I’m envisioning an evolved, human society…

I’m fortunate to live in a prosperous society, but it saddens me that there such a disparity of riches in the world; how did it happen, and why do we allow it to continue?

 

Darren Clarke: Campion Golfer 2011

It was delightful to watch Darren Clarke, of Northern Ireland, win The Open Championship (known, erroneously, as The British Open on this side of the Pacific). The Open was played this year at Royal St. George’s, which is located in Sandwich, Kent, England.

I’m hoisting a Guinness (or two…) in Darren’s honour.

 

Harry Potter and the Father-Daughter Bonding

So, I watched the final Harry Potter movie with Brynne last night. It’s been an exciting part of her life for the past twelve years; her Grade Three Teacher read the first book (Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone) to the class, I read the next four to her, and she read the final two herself. I thought Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (the sixth in the series) was the best book (mainly because of the ‘Lucky Potion’ (Felix Felicis) Chapter), but my fondest memories are the books we shared together as I read with my interpretation of the character’s voices (the most enjoyable (yet painful to my throat) were Dobby and Hagrid). I didn’t really enjoy the last book (though I’m sure I wasn’t within the target audience for the series), and I think the final two movies were much better than the book (the final book was split into two movies). Brynne enjoyed all of it immensely and says that a little part of her died knowing it’s all over…

Photo from: harrypotter.warnerbros.com