Yes, I know better than to expect quality news from the same group that provides hotmail. But really now, it looks like Teen magazine just vomited. And does anyone else see the irony of having a "serious" article about 401ks in the middle of this upchuck? It's like they're trying to camouflage the upchuck and convince somebody that this is real news.It may be the end of the world as we know it, but you feel fine, eh? Read the Canadian news article here or below in its entirety.
An American and a Spaniard have launched a lawsuit to stop scientists from firing up a machine they fear could destroy not just life on Earth but the planet itself.
International scientists, including dozens from Canada, are about to launch the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), a 27-kilometre long particle accelerator built near Geneva, Switzerland. It will shoot beams of protons at each other in an effort to recreate conditions that resemble what the universe might have been like in the milliseconds after the Big Bang.
"We want to probe the most basic particles and constituents (and we're) trying to understand how matter was made," Robert McPherson, a University of Victoria physics professor who is working on the project, told CTV.ca in a phone interview from Vancouver.
In the process, scientists may end up creating miniature black holes -- areas of space that have gravitational pulls so strong that not even light can escape.
The more matter a black hole pulls in, the stronger it becomes. And that's what worries Walter Wagner, the American who is suing to temporarily stop the project. He says the creation of these black holes here on Earth, no matter how small, may unleash a chain reaction that could destroy the planet.
Wagner says there's a possibility that black holes could just get bigger and bigger as they pull more and more matter into themselves.
"Eventually, all of Earth would fall into such growing micro-black-holes, converting Earth into a medium-sized black hole, around which would continue to orbit the moon, satellites, and the (International Space Station)," according to court papers Wagner, along with a citizen of Spain, filed in Honolulu.
In other words, Wagner asserts the LHC is a machine that will end up causing the Earth to eat itself -- perhaps in less than a century. It may sound fantastic, like a plotline out of a James Bond movie where an evil scientist holds the earth for ransom with a deadly weapon, but Wagner says the possibility isn't science fiction.
"Science fiction can be very strange and sometimes it can come very true. This is in the realm of possibilities where fiction can become fact," Wagner told CTV.ca in a telephone interview from his home in Honolulu.
Wagner, an education consultant who studied physics at Berkeley, says scientists working on the project haven't done enough studies to make sure the scenario he envisions won't actually occur. The suit -- which is filed against various U.S. agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency -- aims to get a restraining order to stop work on the project until more safety studies are completed.
McPherson admits small black holes may be created, but he says the concerns are overblown. He says there is virtually no possibility that any black hole that scientists may create at the Large Hadron Collider will end up absorbing the Earth.
"Assuming our wildest fantasies, how much matter can one of these black holes consume in a second, in a year, or even in several billion years?" asks McPherson.
"A black hole we could make at the LHC would only consume a tiny fraction of a gram of matter from Earth. There's no possibility of causing any damage to the Earth," he said.
McPherson says the black holes will decay and disappear quickly. He adds that what scientists are trying to do in a laboratory setting at the LHC happens in nature daily.
"The Earth is constantly being bombarded by cosmic rays. Many of them have much higher energies than what we can create with the LHC. If something dangerous was being made in these interactions it would already have happened in cosmic ray interactions," he said.
But that's no comfort to Wagner. He says the LHC is like a factory that creates a waste product without any way to dispose of it. If he's correct, the factory won't get rid of the byproduct. Instead, the byproduct will dispose of the factory -- and everything else.
I'm so exciting that I'm positively beaming (and will probably give myself radiation poisoning). I'm going to have company! At the end of this month, I'll have Sis and Co. spending the night (which should be an iiiiinteresting squeeze into this apartment).
AND they'll be bringing my new baby mrow with them! Baby-Mrow-Who's-Yet-To-Be-Named will be taking an 8-hour trek from Biloxi, MS through Mobile, AL (where Sis and Co. pick her up) to Memphis, TN. So much to look forward to as this month draws to and end!
And just moments ago, Demented Boy text messaged me, informing me that he'll be driving down for the very last weekend in August. :D Pinch me, am I dreaming?!
WOOO!!! People to hang out with! People to make dinner for and to eat with! People, people, people Friends and family! It's like going home for a visit to see them... but without all that pesky driving! :)
Trailing slightly behind coworkers today as we left a farewell luncheon at the Millington Chili's, I walked into the end of a greeting between the aforementioned coworkers and a group of well-dressed businessmen enjoying their lunch at a nearby table. Greetings had already been made and not recognizing any of the party, my brief conversation with the eldest gentleman ran thus:
He: Hello, what is your name?
Me: Erin, sir. And yours?
He: A.C. Wharton, and this (indicating the man next to him) is Harold Ford, Jr.
Me: (waving back to Ford and struggling desperately not to laugh) Pleasure to meet you, sir. Enjoy your lunch.
Mundane conversation, indeed, and hardly worth mentioning except that these two gentlemen were the mayor of Shelby County and the former representative to TN's 9th congressional district. Whoops!
Well, firstly - I obviously know of these two politicians. I do my bit of reading of current and local affairs on the internet, but not only was my previous local news-watching minimal, but now I don't even own a tv at all. The problem is that without the image-laden local news on tv, I could have spouted a fair bit of knowledge about the politicians but couldn't have identified them in a line up had my life depended on it. 
Now, why the suppressed laughter? Oh, I had to laugh at myself. As far as I know, Willie Herenton could have been at the same table, and I'd still be completely obvious. And I suppose some people would be shocked and slightly horrified that a conscious-minded voter could be so ignorant of the very people who represent and work for her. But... you know? Until I start voting for people based on their looks and not their platform, I can't really say as I care. But still, you meet somebody this important and you feel like a fool for not recognizing them.
Second reason I had to suppress the laughter? Because in that nanosecond after Wharton introduced himself, the first thing that came to mind was, "Oh, I'm sorry. You guys all look alike." *sigh* Me and my bad, bad sense of humor, lol. And of course I couldn't say it, not least of all because nobody would think I was joking. And as I sat in the back of my coworker's car on the ride back to work, my giggles died. I know I have a very off-beat sense of humor and find the most inappropriate things funny, but it makes me sad when what SHOULD be a joke is too real and smacks too much of truth in a racially charged world. Maybe if people could learn to lighten up and regrow their funny bone, these issues wouldn't be so explosive. Maybe we could address them and move beyond them. Heaven knows you could cut the racial tension in Memphis with a knife. The stabbing murder a few days ago just proves my point.
I feel obligated to update my AT&T saga. My one last quick call turned into an hour. My one last work-around turned into a 2 hour visit to the local corporate office and 2 customer support calls. That's right - TWO calls. The first person, after being horribly rude and further screwing up my accounts (cuz at this point, I still have 2 wireless accounts), hung up on me and the store rep.
But after 9+ hours of customer unsupport debacle, I actually think that I'm where I need to be: 1 DSL account, no landline phone account, and 1 wireless account with my old phone number. And praise be to Zhul, I may even have gotten the two bills bundled! (But let's not get crazy and expect getting something I want.) I reserve the right to believe that further AT&T screw ups will be unearthed once the first bill (please not bills) comes around.
Oh, and I did squeeze in a little bit of fiscal celebration - had drinks with the work buddies Friday afternoon and ate Taco Bell today. As to the former, I was reminded of how much I miss hanging out with those guys. I haven't laughed/snorted that much or that hard for far too long. As to the later, O-ren decided (very sneakily, I might add) to eat half of my soft taco. This afternoon, we both curled up on the futon; O-ren was the body pillow. I got to fall asleep to the sound of distant thunder in her tummy, lol.
I'll spare the gory details, but I have spent at least a full 6 hours within the past 3 days with AT&T customer service support, not to mention the time Aaron has spent on the phone with them to attempt resolving his end of this mess. Between getting accounts switched over, accounts closed, accounts created that never should have been - and then to have all three of those happen both with the wireless and landland/DSL accounts.... sigh. Hundreds of dollars floating around between accounts and random, free floating accounts directly or indirectly attached to me... Heaven help me from the very friendly and well-meaning but INEPT customer support personnel. And each time I think I've gotten an issue resolved, a new one is identified.
But I think - I THINK - that I'm nearing the end of this brouhaha. Only one final call to make (that I'm aware of unless some new unforeseen issue crops up) and only one final work around on my part (again, that I'm aware of... unless)
But I have to admit that the persons I spoke to each time were exceedingly friendly and did their best to help me out. Just too bad they don't actually know company policy. *shrug*
And hey, does anyone else besides me love the irony that I was on the phone with AT&T Wireless customer support and the call dropped? Hehehe, I enjoyed giving them a little bit of shit, all good-naturedly, when they had to call me back. :)
And on a completely separate vein, I may not be giddy, but I'm happy and relieved. My promotion was announced at work today. A new position was created so that I will be a technical writer and Business Analyst (BA) hybrid in preparation for potential maturation into a full-fledged BA position. So my days of harvesting and selling local vagrants' organs on the black market seem to be over. I celebrated the news by throwing all fiscal responsibility to the wind and splurging - I bought O-ren a case of her favorite canned cat food. Future plans for the new funds include doubling efforts to knock out my two loans. I also plan on splurging on a cheesy bean and rice burrito, but I think I'll save that excitement for the weekend. I don't want to go too crazy or anything... or the next thing you know, I'll be buying rugs or curtains. And we can't have that kind of nonsense, no siree!
I am happy; I will get mentorship and support rather than being my own lighthouse. I am relieved; my wallet can stop bleeding. I like this. I'm nervous, but I have to admit I'm looking forward to the challenges that await me.
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