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Smoke on the water....
Jul. 28th, 2010 06:46 pmI was driving home and about 7 miles up ahead on the curve I see smoke. I hope it isn't the beginnings of a wildfire.
Then the traffic stops:
( what's up ahead? )
I hope they get it under control and out quickly.
Then the traffic stops:
( what's up ahead? )
I hope they get it under control and out quickly.
This is interesting...
Jun. 21st, 2010 10:23 amAbnormal radiation detected near Korean border
SEOUL, South Korea – Abnormally high radiation levels were detected near the border between the two Koreas days after North Korea claimed to have mastered a complex technology key to manufacturing a hydrogen bomb, Seoul said Monday.
The Science Ministry said its investigation ruled out a nuclear test by North Korea, but failed to determine the source of the radiation. It said there was no evidence of an earthquake, which follows an atomic explosion.
On May 12, North Korea claimed its scientists succeeded in creating a nuclear fusion reaction — a technology necessary to manufacture a hydrogen bomb. In its announcement, the North did not say how it would use the technology, only calling it a "breakthrough toward the development of new energy."
South Korean experts doubted the North actually made such a breakthrough. Scientists around the world have been experimenting with fusion for decades, but it has yet to be developed into a viable energy alternative.
On May 15, however, the atmospheric concentration of xenon — an inert gas released after a nuclear explosion or radioactive leakage from a nuclear power plant — on the South Korean side of their shared border was found to be eight times higher than normal, according to South Korea's Science Ministry.
South Korea subsequently looked for signs of an artificially induced earthquake of a magnitude typically registered during a nuclear test. Experts, however, found no signs of such a quake in North Korea, a ministry statement said.
"We determined that there was no possibility of an underground nuclear test," it said. The ministry said the gas is not harmful.
While any fusion test would have registered seismic activity, according to nuclear expert Whang Joo-ho of South Korea's Kyung Hee University, the presence of xenon could also have come from a leak.
Since the wind was blowing from north to south when the xenon was detected, a Science Ministry official said the gas could not have originated from any nuclear power plants in South Korea.
But the official — speaking on condition of anonymity, citing department policy — said the xenon could have come from Russia or China. Whang agreed, saying a nuclear test or radioactive leakage would be the only reasons that could explain the atmospheric concentration of xenon reported by the ministry.
A Vienna-based United Nations agency, however, said no signs of increased radioactivity were detected last month along the Korean border.
"We have not registered anything that would raise any suspicion," said Kirsten Haupt, a spokeswoman for the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organization, a U.N. agency that looks for signs of nuclear testing worldwide.
Earlier Monday, South Korea's mass-circulation Chosun Ilbo newspaper reported that North Korea may have conducted a small-sized nuclear test, citing the abnormal radioactivity. The paper cited an atomic expert it did not identify.
North Korea — which is believed to have enough weaponized plutonium for at least a half-dozen nuclear weapons — conducted two underground nuclear tests in 2006 and 2009, drawing international condemnation and U.N. sanctions.
The news of the detected radiation comes as tension is running high on the Korean peninsula over the deadly sinking of a South Korean warship blamed on a North Korean torpedo attack. North Korea flatly denies the allegation and has warned any punishment would trigger war, as the U.N. Security Council reviews Seoul's request for action over the sinking.
I wonder what it was?
SEOUL, South Korea – Abnormally high radiation levels were detected near the border between the two Koreas days after North Korea claimed to have mastered a complex technology key to manufacturing a hydrogen bomb, Seoul said Monday.
The Science Ministry said its investigation ruled out a nuclear test by North Korea, but failed to determine the source of the radiation. It said there was no evidence of an earthquake, which follows an atomic explosion.
On May 12, North Korea claimed its scientists succeeded in creating a nuclear fusion reaction — a technology necessary to manufacture a hydrogen bomb. In its announcement, the North did not say how it would use the technology, only calling it a "breakthrough toward the development of new energy."
South Korean experts doubted the North actually made such a breakthrough. Scientists around the world have been experimenting with fusion for decades, but it has yet to be developed into a viable energy alternative.
On May 15, however, the atmospheric concentration of xenon — an inert gas released after a nuclear explosion or radioactive leakage from a nuclear power plant — on the South Korean side of their shared border was found to be eight times higher than normal, according to South Korea's Science Ministry.
South Korea subsequently looked for signs of an artificially induced earthquake of a magnitude typically registered during a nuclear test. Experts, however, found no signs of such a quake in North Korea, a ministry statement said.
"We determined that there was no possibility of an underground nuclear test," it said. The ministry said the gas is not harmful.
While any fusion test would have registered seismic activity, according to nuclear expert Whang Joo-ho of South Korea's Kyung Hee University, the presence of xenon could also have come from a leak.
Since the wind was blowing from north to south when the xenon was detected, a Science Ministry official said the gas could not have originated from any nuclear power plants in South Korea.
But the official — speaking on condition of anonymity, citing department policy — said the xenon could have come from Russia or China. Whang agreed, saying a nuclear test or radioactive leakage would be the only reasons that could explain the atmospheric concentration of xenon reported by the ministry.
A Vienna-based United Nations agency, however, said no signs of increased radioactivity were detected last month along the Korean border.
"We have not registered anything that would raise any suspicion," said Kirsten Haupt, a spokeswoman for the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organization, a U.N. agency that looks for signs of nuclear testing worldwide.
Earlier Monday, South Korea's mass-circulation Chosun Ilbo newspaper reported that North Korea may have conducted a small-sized nuclear test, citing the abnormal radioactivity. The paper cited an atomic expert it did not identify.
North Korea — which is believed to have enough weaponized plutonium for at least a half-dozen nuclear weapons — conducted two underground nuclear tests in 2006 and 2009, drawing international condemnation and U.N. sanctions.
The news of the detected radiation comes as tension is running high on the Korean peninsula over the deadly sinking of a South Korean warship blamed on a North Korean torpedo attack. North Korea flatly denies the allegation and has warned any punishment would trigger war, as the U.N. Security Council reviews Seoul's request for action over the sinking.
I wonder what it was?
Armed Militias - what a good idea!
Apr. 13th, 2010 11:20 amThis is what happens when people driven by fear and racism are given loaded weapons - as per ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-syndicated.gif)
raw_story
New Clues Emerge in Post-Katrina Vigilante Shooting at Algiers Point
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/rawstory/gKpz/~3/6V6Z5u4a2h0/
http://rawstory.com/rs/?p=26751
Three days after Hurricane Katrina turned New Orleans into a ghost town, somebody shot Donnell Herrington twice in Algiers Point, ripping a hole in his throat.
Herrington, who is African-American, says he was ambushed by a group of armed white men who attacked without warning or provocation. He barely survived the shooting, which shredded his internal jugular vein, a key vessel that transports blood from the brain to the heart. He believes the assault was racially motivated.
No one has ever been charged in the incident, but now, more than four years later, at least two figures have come forward with information implicating a neighborhood man in the attack. These two people linked Roland Bourgeois, Jr., to the shooting in interviews with ProPublica, the Times-Picayune, and PBS’ “Frontline.”
Terri Benjamin, who lived in the area, said she saw Bourgeois, 47, pledge to shoot anybody with skin “darker than a brown paper bag ” while clutching a shotgun. At one point, she said, he held up the blood-drenched baseball cap of a man who’d just been shot.
Bourgeois’ mother, Pam Pitre, said her son did fire his shotgun at an African-American man that day in Algiers Point, and acknowledged that he kept the man’s hat. Pitre, who insists her son “is not a racist,” said Bourgeois was accompanied by another man who also fired shots.
( read on to be horrified )
raw_storyNew Clues Emerge in Post-Katrina Vigilante Shooting at Algiers Point
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/rawstory/gKpz/~3/6V6Z5u4a2h0/
http://rawstory.com/rs/?p=26751
Three days after Hurricane Katrina turned New Orleans into a ghost town, somebody shot Donnell Herrington twice in Algiers Point, ripping a hole in his throat.
Herrington, who is African-American, says he was ambushed by a group of armed white men who attacked without warning or provocation. He barely survived the shooting, which shredded his internal jugular vein, a key vessel that transports blood from the brain to the heart. He believes the assault was racially motivated.
No one has ever been charged in the incident, but now, more than four years later, at least two figures have come forward with information implicating a neighborhood man in the attack. These two people linked Roland Bourgeois, Jr., to the shooting in interviews with ProPublica, the Times-Picayune, and PBS’ “Frontline.”
Terri Benjamin, who lived in the area, said she saw Bourgeois, 47, pledge to shoot anybody with skin “darker than a brown paper bag ” while clutching a shotgun. At one point, she said, he held up the blood-drenched baseball cap of a man who’d just been shot.
Bourgeois’ mother, Pam Pitre, said her son did fire his shotgun at an African-American man that day in Algiers Point, and acknowledged that he kept the man’s hat. Pitre, who insists her son “is not a racist,” said Bourgeois was accompanied by another man who also fired shots.
( read on to be horrified )
Question for the group, re: SCOTUS
Apr. 11th, 2010 09:29 amDo you think David Boies would be a good choice to replace Stevens?
If the aseteroid....
Apr. 8th, 2010 02:37 pmThat will be passing between the Earth and the Moon at 4:06 pm PDT happens to hit Santa Barbara, then I just wanted to say I love you all.
If it hits somewhere else, I hope you are not there.
If it hits somewhere else, I hope you are not there.
Daddy Juice! Hahahahaaha.
Mar. 25th, 2010 11:26 amShamelessly stolen from ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
ohnotheydidnt:
O.J. Simpson Enjoying the Gay Life Behind Bars
http://tinyurl.com/y9ubvkl
That’s the startling revelation of a former inmate, who recently served time next to the disgraced football hero at Nevada’s Lovelock Correctional Center.
With the help of adoring prisoners and guards, O.J. is able to gamble on sporting events, get special privileges – and even receive massages from a group of gay inmates known as “The Girls,” says the source.
“O.J. may be a pariah on the outside, but in prison, he’s still a somebody.”
He’s really tight with ‘The Girls,’” said the source, referring to the openly gay transgender part of the prison population.
“Whenever we’d be let out to the yard, O.J. would almost always hang out with them. The ‘girls’ treated him like he was a king.”
And “Daddy Juice” really knew how to take care of his “girls”, the source said.
Why do I get some sick pleasure, knowing his life is so miserable?
ohnotheydidnt:O.J. Simpson Enjoying the Gay Life Behind Bars
http://tinyurl.com/y9ubvkl
That’s the startling revelation of a former inmate, who recently served time next to the disgraced football hero at Nevada’s Lovelock Correctional Center.
With the help of adoring prisoners and guards, O.J. is able to gamble on sporting events, get special privileges – and even receive massages from a group of gay inmates known as “The Girls,” says the source.
“O.J. may be a pariah on the outside, but in prison, he’s still a somebody.”
He’s really tight with ‘The Girls,’” said the source, referring to the openly gay transgender part of the prison population.
“Whenever we’d be let out to the yard, O.J. would almost always hang out with them. The ‘girls’ treated him like he was a king.”
And “Daddy Juice” really knew how to take care of his “girls”, the source said.
Why do I get some sick pleasure, knowing his life is so miserable?
Woz is awesome, "Just reboot your Prius!"
Mar. 5th, 2010 09:26 pmApple co-founder Wozniak shirks off Prius glitch
SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) – Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak on Friday held firm to his love for Prius cars despite what he suspects is a Toyota software problem behind sudden spikes in acceleration.
"I love my Prius," Wozniak said during on-stage banter with AT&T Tech Channel's Hugh Thompson during a geek talk show at the closing of an RSA computer security conference here.
"It's just like all the other gadgets we have... Everything today has a computer in it, so everything will fail."
Wozniak said he has bought nine Prius cars and even drove one from the Silicon Valley city of San Jose to San Francisco that day.
He said he conducted his own tests of Prius acceleration, taking his car to an open stretch of highway at dusk and then incrementally notching up the speed using the cruise control mechanism.
At "some number over 72" the car accelerated and kept picking up speed, Wozniak said.
"I wanted to see how high it would go," Wozniak said. "It wound up being unlimited so I hit the brake. The problem had to be in the software."
Wozniak advised treating cars like any other computer-based mechanisms by shutting them down at signs of trouble and then restarting them to essentially reboot systems.
"We who work in computers know there are all kinds of little failures," Wozniak said. "I love Toyota; I'm going to buy more of them. I think it is not unsafe."
His remarks came as key US lawmakers looking into Toyota's problems with deadly spikes in speed asked the company for documents backing up its position that electronic defects were not to blame.
Representatives Henry Waxman and Bart Stupak, top Democrats on a key House committee looking into the Japanese auto giant's woes, made the request in a letter to the embattled company's top US executive.
"We do not understand the basis for Toyota's repeated assertions that it is 'confident' there are no electronic defects contributing to incidents of sudden unintended acceleration," they wrote.
The lawmakers' letter to Toyota Motor Sales USA president James Lentz said the firm has yet to share documents conclusively documenting its position that such flaws are not behind speed surges blamed for some 50 US deaths.
They also sought detailed quarterly reports on claims of sudden unintended acceleration and detailed information on the installation of brake override systems designed to slow vehicles and on so-called 'black-box' data from cars and trucks involved in accidents.
The Japanese giant recalled more than eight million cars worldwide to repair accelerator and brake defects.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100306/tc_afp/usitinternetautosoftwaretoyotawozniak_20100306005830
SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) – Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak on Friday held firm to his love for Prius cars despite what he suspects is a Toyota software problem behind sudden spikes in acceleration.
"I love my Prius," Wozniak said during on-stage banter with AT&T Tech Channel's Hugh Thompson during a geek talk show at the closing of an RSA computer security conference here.
"It's just like all the other gadgets we have... Everything today has a computer in it, so everything will fail."
Wozniak said he has bought nine Prius cars and even drove one from the Silicon Valley city of San Jose to San Francisco that day.
He said he conducted his own tests of Prius acceleration, taking his car to an open stretch of highway at dusk and then incrementally notching up the speed using the cruise control mechanism.
At "some number over 72" the car accelerated and kept picking up speed, Wozniak said.
"I wanted to see how high it would go," Wozniak said. "It wound up being unlimited so I hit the brake. The problem had to be in the software."
Wozniak advised treating cars like any other computer-based mechanisms by shutting them down at signs of trouble and then restarting them to essentially reboot systems.
"We who work in computers know there are all kinds of little failures," Wozniak said. "I love Toyota; I'm going to buy more of them. I think it is not unsafe."
His remarks came as key US lawmakers looking into Toyota's problems with deadly spikes in speed asked the company for documents backing up its position that electronic defects were not to blame.
Representatives Henry Waxman and Bart Stupak, top Democrats on a key House committee looking into the Japanese auto giant's woes, made the request in a letter to the embattled company's top US executive.
"We do not understand the basis for Toyota's repeated assertions that it is 'confident' there are no electronic defects contributing to incidents of sudden unintended acceleration," they wrote.
The lawmakers' letter to Toyota Motor Sales USA president James Lentz said the firm has yet to share documents conclusively documenting its position that such flaws are not behind speed surges blamed for some 50 US deaths.
They also sought detailed quarterly reports on claims of sudden unintended acceleration and detailed information on the installation of brake override systems designed to slow vehicles and on so-called 'black-box' data from cars and trucks involved in accidents.
The Japanese giant recalled more than eight million cars worldwide to repair accelerator and brake defects.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100306/tc_afp/usitinternetautosoftwaretoyotawozniak_20100306005830
Official: Plane crash pilot left anti-IRS Web note
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_plane_crash_texas
AUSTIN, Texas – A pilot furious with the Internal Revenue Service crashed his small plane into an office building that houses federal tax employees in Austin, Texas on Thursday, setting off a raging fire that sent workers fleeing as thick plumes of black smoke poured into the air.
A U.S. law official identified the pilot as Joseph Stack and said investigators were looking at an anti-government message on the Web linked to him. The Web site outlines problems with the IRS and says violence "is the only answer."
Federal law enforcement officials have said they were investigating whether the pilot crashed on purpose in an effort to blow up IRS offices. The Web site featured a long note dated Thursday denouncing the government and the IRS in particular and cited the Austin man's problems with the agency.
All the officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation is continuing.
At least one person who worked in the building was unaccounted for and two people were hospitalized, said Austin Fire Department Division Chief Dawn Clopton. She did not have any information about the pilot. About 190 IRS employees work in the building, and IRS spokesman Richard C. Sanford the agency is trying to account for all employees.
Flames shot out of the building, windows exploded and workers scrambled to safety after the blast. Thick smoke billowed out of the second and third stories hours later as fire crews battled the blaze.
"It felt like a bomb blew off," said Peggy Walker, an IRS revenue officer who was sitting at her desk in the building when the plane crashed. "The ceiling caved in and windows blew in. We got up and ran."
Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Lynn Lunsford initially said the plane was identified as a Cirrus SR22, but later said it might be a Piper Cherokee.
"It's so destroyed that it's hard to identify," Lunsford said.
He said FAA has confirmed that the plane that took off from an airport in Georgetown, Texas, and that the pilot didn't file a flight plan.
In a neighborhood about six miles from the crash site, a home listed as belonging to Stack was on fire earlier Thursday. Authorities in Austin would not comment on the house fire Thursday afternoon.
[I get text news alerts from KFI AM radio and on their website they actually have the note left on the guy's website. Sounds like teabagger rhetoric to me. I know he had a specific beef with the IRS, but I bet it goes deeper than that. Here's their article.]
http://www.kfiam640.com/pages/Promotions.html
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_plane_crash_texas
AUSTIN, Texas – A pilot furious with the Internal Revenue Service crashed his small plane into an office building that houses federal tax employees in Austin, Texas on Thursday, setting off a raging fire that sent workers fleeing as thick plumes of black smoke poured into the air.
A U.S. law official identified the pilot as Joseph Stack and said investigators were looking at an anti-government message on the Web linked to him. The Web site outlines problems with the IRS and says violence "is the only answer."
Federal law enforcement officials have said they were investigating whether the pilot crashed on purpose in an effort to blow up IRS offices. The Web site featured a long note dated Thursday denouncing the government and the IRS in particular and cited the Austin man's problems with the agency.
All the officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation is continuing.
At least one person who worked in the building was unaccounted for and two people were hospitalized, said Austin Fire Department Division Chief Dawn Clopton. She did not have any information about the pilot. About 190 IRS employees work in the building, and IRS spokesman Richard C. Sanford the agency is trying to account for all employees.
Flames shot out of the building, windows exploded and workers scrambled to safety after the blast. Thick smoke billowed out of the second and third stories hours later as fire crews battled the blaze.
"It felt like a bomb blew off," said Peggy Walker, an IRS revenue officer who was sitting at her desk in the building when the plane crashed. "The ceiling caved in and windows blew in. We got up and ran."
Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Lynn Lunsford initially said the plane was identified as a Cirrus SR22, but later said it might be a Piper Cherokee.
"It's so destroyed that it's hard to identify," Lunsford said.
He said FAA has confirmed that the plane that took off from an airport in Georgetown, Texas, and that the pilot didn't file a flight plan.
In a neighborhood about six miles from the crash site, a home listed as belonging to Stack was on fire earlier Thursday. Authorities in Austin would not comment on the house fire Thursday afternoon.
[I get text news alerts from KFI AM radio and on their website they actually have the note left on the guy's website. Sounds like teabagger rhetoric to me. I know he had a specific beef with the IRS, but I bet it goes deeper than that. Here's their article.]
http://www.kfiam640.com/pages/Promotions.html
Fire pictures
Jan. 24th, 2010 09:36 amThe first 3 pictures are with my good camera, but then the batteries died and I had to revert to my phone.
Here is what I saw when I first got out there:
( clicky for that warming glow )
Here is what I saw when I first got out there:
( clicky for that warming glow )
Another goddamned fire.
Jan. 24th, 2010 05:16 amMy power is out so I have to post by phone. 30 minutes ago I snapped awake at yelling and crackling noises and my room was glowing orange. I looked out the blinds and the carport of Ted Bundy Jr's house was totally engulfed in flame. I called 911 and ran outside. The fire was feet from my bedroom roof. I got some great pictures but the flames burned the power cable above it so we lost all power. Fire is out now so I have to wait for dawn to get my laundry and go to Mom and Dad's at sunrise. Keep you posted!
$10 Donation to Red Cross for Haiti
Jan. 12th, 2010 08:44 pmText HAITI to 90999 and it'll set up an automatic $10 donation to the Red Cross to help the people in HAITI. Just saw it on Rachel Maddow and I did it and it worked. The $10 charge will be on your next wireless bill.
I love Howard Dean
Nov. 24th, 2009 09:10 pmBut he's a horrible fill-in for Rachel Maddow. He's hilariously bad.
You stay cute, Howard.
You stay cute, Howard.
Grrr I am so angry!
Nov. 7th, 2009 04:24 pmIt was just reported now on CNN that George W. and Laura went to visit today the injured soldiers from the Fort Hood shooting.
How dare he think that he can show his face to these troops? If it weren't for his horrific wars where we are waging a war against Islam as opposed to terrorism, maybe this man might not have lost his shit and shot up the processing center to prevent more soldiers from going to war.
And he thinks he can visit these people in the hospital? Where his actions are indirectly responsible for their injuries?
And I hope that this shooting sends a message to Obama. LET'S GET THE FUCK OUT OF IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN. It's destructive on so many levels and it's only going to get worse.
This whole shooting incident has made me very sad. I can't even imagine what the shooter was thinking; it must have been so intense. And I'm sure they're going to end up blaming the whole thing on Islam. It's already happening.
Except for my girlfriend Rachel Maddow (I'd go back to being a dyke for her, oh yeah). She has been talking about other murders on other bases that seem to have the same senseless nature as the shooting at Ft. Hood. She's determined to get Obama to end these wars.
How dare he think that he can show his face to these troops? If it weren't for his horrific wars where we are waging a war against Islam as opposed to terrorism, maybe this man might not have lost his shit and shot up the processing center to prevent more soldiers from going to war.
And he thinks he can visit these people in the hospital? Where his actions are indirectly responsible for their injuries?
And I hope that this shooting sends a message to Obama. LET'S GET THE FUCK OUT OF IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN. It's destructive on so many levels and it's only going to get worse.
This whole shooting incident has made me very sad. I can't even imagine what the shooter was thinking; it must have been so intense. And I'm sure they're going to end up blaming the whole thing on Islam. It's already happening.
Except for my girlfriend Rachel Maddow (I'd go back to being a dyke for her, oh yeah). She has been talking about other murders on other bases that seem to have the same senseless nature as the shooting at Ft. Hood. She's determined to get Obama to end these wars.
http://www.wired.com/geekdad/2009/10/large-hadron-collider-time-travel/
Is the Large Hadron Collider Killing Its Own Grandfather?
If you’ve read about all the troubles scientists at CERN in Europe have been having getting the Large Hadron Collider to work, you must have had the same sort of thought about the failures as some such scientists have: Obviously, a time travel paradox is to blame.
The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) first went online September 10 of last year amid much hullabaloo about the possibility it could have some… unfortunate repercussions. It promptly went offline nine days later, and has since given the CERN folks a great deal of trouble getting it back on its supercolliding feet. It is scheduled to be brought back online next month, but in the meantime, many theories have sprung up to explain the various failures.
One of these theories is that the Higgs boson has traveled back in time to prevent its own creation. This is not a joke, though you could easily be forgiven for thinking so. Two respectable physicists have published papers on the possibility, and they have even come up with a test they say will determine whether or not they’re right. One might argue, of course, that if the Higgs boson is crafty enough to kill its own grandfather, as it were, it would also cover its tracks.
Of course, other respectable scientists think this idea is… well, as ridiculous as it sounds. If the LHC fails yet again, though, you can be sure more people will start subscribing to this theory. The great physicist Niels Bohr once reportedly said “We all agree your theory is crazy. The question is whether it’s crazy enough to have a chance of being correct.”
As a parent, I do advise that it might not be a good idea to let your kids read about this Douglas Adams-esque idea. I can just picture my kids saying “Daddy, it’s not my fault! The Higgs boson went back in time and made me get a bad grade on my math test!” And how do you respond to that?
[Follow the link to the original article because it has embedded links to other interesting articles. This is so cool and scary and weird.]
Here's the coolest offshoot article:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/10/18/BUHE1A4NJB.DTL&type=science
Is the Large Hadron Collider Killing Its Own Grandfather?
If you’ve read about all the troubles scientists at CERN in Europe have been having getting the Large Hadron Collider to work, you must have had the same sort of thought about the failures as some such scientists have: Obviously, a time travel paradox is to blame.
The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) first went online September 10 of last year amid much hullabaloo about the possibility it could have some… unfortunate repercussions. It promptly went offline nine days later, and has since given the CERN folks a great deal of trouble getting it back on its supercolliding feet. It is scheduled to be brought back online next month, but in the meantime, many theories have sprung up to explain the various failures.
One of these theories is that the Higgs boson has traveled back in time to prevent its own creation. This is not a joke, though you could easily be forgiven for thinking so. Two respectable physicists have published papers on the possibility, and they have even come up with a test they say will determine whether or not they’re right. One might argue, of course, that if the Higgs boson is crafty enough to kill its own grandfather, as it were, it would also cover its tracks.
Of course, other respectable scientists think this idea is… well, as ridiculous as it sounds. If the LHC fails yet again, though, you can be sure more people will start subscribing to this theory. The great physicist Niels Bohr once reportedly said “We all agree your theory is crazy. The question is whether it’s crazy enough to have a chance of being correct.”
As a parent, I do advise that it might not be a good idea to let your kids read about this Douglas Adams-esque idea. I can just picture my kids saying “Daddy, it’s not my fault! The Higgs boson went back in time and made me get a bad grade on my math test!” And how do you respond to that?
[Follow the link to the original article because it has embedded links to other interesting articles. This is so cool and scary and weird.]
Here's the coolest offshoot article:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/10/18/BUHE1A4NJB.DTL&type=science
Teacher turns serial killer
MANGALORE: Eighteen young women aged 22-35-years were the victims of teacher turned serial killer Mohan Kumar. His area of operation spanned the bus stations across Mysore, Madikeri, Hassan, Bangalore, and the Kollur temple. His modus operandi was to prey on young unmarried women luring them with a promise to marry them, have sex with them, and kill them by making them take cyanide as an anti-pregnancy measure.
( read the rest )
MANGALORE: Eighteen young women aged 22-35-years were the victims of teacher turned serial killer Mohan Kumar. His area of operation spanned the bus stations across Mysore, Madikeri, Hassan, Bangalore, and the Kollur temple. His modus operandi was to prey on young unmarried women luring them with a promise to marry them, have sex with them, and kill them by making them take cyanide as an anti-pregnancy measure.
( read the rest )
This is stupidly absurd.
Sep. 25th, 2009 09:22 pmI was reading this article:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090926/ap_on_re_us/us_census_worker_hanged
on the census worker and here is a passage:
"A part-time census worker found hanging in a rural Kentucky cemetery was naked, gagged and had his hands and feet bound with duct tape, said an Ohio man who discovered the body two weeks ago.
The word "fed" was written in felt-tip pen on 51-year-old Bill Sparkman's chest, but authorities have released very few other details in the case, such as whether they think it was an accident, suicide or homicide."
Accident? Really? One can accidentally get naked, gagged, duct taped, hanged and have "Fed" written on your chest?
Uh...ok.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090926/ap_on_re_us/us_census_worker_hanged
on the census worker and here is a passage:
"A part-time census worker found hanging in a rural Kentucky cemetery was naked, gagged and had his hands and feet bound with duct tape, said an Ohio man who discovered the body two weeks ago.
The word "fed" was written in felt-tip pen on 51-year-old Bill Sparkman's chest, but authorities have released very few other details in the case, such as whether they think it was an accident, suicide or homicide."
Accident? Really? One can accidentally get naked, gagged, duct taped, hanged and have "Fed" written on your chest?
Uh...ok.
This story is so weird.
Sep. 24th, 2009 05:15 pmIt started here back on September first:
http://www.hollywood.com/news/Randy_Quaids_wife_targetted_in_restraining_order/5693709
Randy Quaid's wife targetted in restraining order
Then today this story broke:
http://www.tmz.com/2009/09/24/randy-quaid-evi-wife-arrest-warrant-for-burglary/
Randy Quaid, Wife -- Arrest Warrant for Burglary
Then got weirder:
http://www.tmz.com/2009/09/24/randy-quaid-evi-cops-say-hes-done-this-before/
Randy Quaid -- Cops Say He's Done this Before
Then got downright bizarre:
http://www.tmz.com/2009/09/24/randy-and-evi-quaid-arrested/
Randy and Evi Quaid Arrested After Struggle
http://www.hollywood.com/news/Randy_Quaids_wife_targetted_in_restraining_order/5693709
Randy Quaid's wife targetted in restraining order
Then today this story broke:
http://www.tmz.com/2009/09/24/randy-quaid-evi-wife-arrest-warrant-for-burglary/
Randy Quaid, Wife -- Arrest Warrant for Burglary
Then got weirder:
http://www.tmz.com/2009/09/24/randy-quaid-evi-cops-say-hes-done-this-before/
Randy Quaid -- Cops Say He's Done this Before
Then got downright bizarre:
http://www.tmz.com/2009/09/24/randy-and-evi-quaid-arrested/
Randy and Evi Quaid Arrested After Struggle
