Thursday, September 11, 2008
IMMINENTLY THE WORST TERRORIST ACT ON EARTH?
These past couple of days, as I gallivant around Manila -- absorbed in some street photography and lost in thought about yet another rise in price of pandesal, as well as the local oil companies' lack of enthusiasm to roll back the price of gas to reflect the decrease in price of crude oil in the global market -- the thought about this Large Hadron Collider (LHC) project also manages to creep into an already busy mind.
It isn't my intention to spread any more negative vibes on this project than it's already attracting; only hoping that by posting an entry about it, some folks out there who are familiar with this awesome scientific project will share their insight and thereby quell our inchoate fear.
Incidentally, my concern was excacerbated after reading an excerpt from an affidavit submitted on March 21 by Luis Sancho to the U.S. District Court of Honolulu in support of a lawsuit against the Department of Energy, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, the National Science Foundation, and the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN).
Sancho, a cosmologist who specializes in time theory, is among the plaintiffs seeking an injunction to halt further work on the Large Hadron Collider. The following is the excerpt from his affidavit:
Quote
I was initially in favor of funding the Large Hadron Collider—the biggest, most technologically advanced machine ever built. It is a superconductive, superfluid ring in which bundles of heavy atoms are to be accelerated to almost the speed of light and smashed together to replicate the awesome energies of the Big Bang and to create showers of heavy-mass particles found only in those first seconds when the universe was destroyed and re-created. Unfortunately, theoretical calculations show that the LHC could produce two kinds of dark matter—black holes and strange, ultradense quark matter—that are extremely dangerous, as both have been theoretically proven to swallow in a chain reaction the entirety of Earth. Thus, a cosmological bomb billions of times more powerful than the atomic bomb might be created at the European Organization for Nuclear Research.
The exact probability of a runaway reaction that converts Earth into dark matter is unknown. The minimal risk as calculated by CERN allows for a 1 to 10 percent chance of extinguishing Earth. In the insurance business, a potential catastrophe’s “death toll” is calculated by multiplying the number of possible victims by the probability that the event will occur. A similar calculation (6,000,000,000 x 1–10%) shows that the LHC experiment would be, technically, the largest holocaust in history. It would also be the biggest environmental crime in history, far more harmful than global warming, as it would mean the destruction of all life-forms on the planet. Since the production of dark matter is neither necessary for the advancement of science nor safe for mankind, the LHC should be forbidden to operate. As we close Chernobyl-like plants for security reasons and forbid the reproduction of the Ebola virus in an open environment (though some specialized virologists would like to study it for research purposes), so should we forbid the reproduction of free, uncontrolled dark matter, even if its theorists would like to study it at CERN. The production of dark matter will not be a “new discovery,” nor will it advance the study of physics. Furthermore, CERN’s researchers will not be awarded a Nobel Prize—the ultimate goal of all experimentalists—if Earth is consumed.
From a psychological point of view, physicists are a curious group. We are responsible for creating scientific explanations for the nature of God and the universe, and we sometimes act with an arrogant fundamentalism. It is not strange that fundamentalist scientists behave like fundamentalist religious people. Both groups believe in their dogmas with such force that they can justify acts of collective murder all over the world. The callousness of physicists is proverbial among scientists. It should not be surprising, then, that CERN would commit a terrorist act by switching on the LHC. In layman’s terms, CERN is asking all of mankind to play a game of Russian roulette. This they propose to do in order to foster the career goals of a few thousand specialists. No group has the right to put at significant risk the life of a single human being without his express consent and knowledge, let alone the entire population of the planet. CERN’s efforts must be judged as acts of criminal negligence and irresponsibility that could harm billions of human beings, or worse, as a potential terrorist act. The director of CERN has said, “The LHC will be the closest we will ever be to God,” as the Big Bang is the violent beginning and end of the universe. I hope he is wrong.
Unquote
I am one in constant awe of the achievements of our scientific community, but this project, worth billions of dollars, leaves me thinking: Is it truly necessary? And is it safe?
This is one of the photographs from CERN that show the various stages of completion of the LHC and several of its larger experiments (some over seven stories tall), over the past several years. View all 27 photos here.
But here's some good news: the first Large Hadron Collider (LHC) experiment went off yesterday without a hitch, paving the way toward the recreation of post-big bang conditions.
"Things can go wrong at any time, but luckily this morning everything went smoothly," said Lyn Evans of the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) who oversaw the building of the accelerator.
Read the complete National Geographic article here.
I very much appreciate my articles and photos appearing on fellow bloggers' sites, popular broadsheets, and local broadcast news segments, but I would appreciate even more a request for permission first.
Thank you!
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Labels: current affairs
posted by Señor Enrique at 5:28 AM
31 Comments:
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FilMasons NSW said... This is timely considering that today is 9/11. Also a brod of mine emailed me (another coincidence?) an article re the the development of nuclear/atomic bombs during WWII. So I emailed him back with the news of this experiment that I saw at Yahoo news.
I guess mankind has this habit of playing God to our own detriment.-
said... i'm quite skeptic about this. this is too much science for me. and you know what they, 'too much' is never good...
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Señor Enrique said...
Eerie coincidences indeed, Mario, but fascinating nonetheless :)
This Large Hadron Collider has funding of $10 billion! Whoa! What else, I ask myself, can that kind of money be used for to benefit mankind, other than possibly getting to see subatomic particles in some tangible forms?
And should the critics of LHC proved correct, God forbid, it could create "the largest holocaust in history. It would also be the biggest environmental crime in history, far more harmful than global warming, as it would mean the destruction of all life-forms on the planet" as Luis Sancho had argued.-
Señor Enrique said...
I'm inclined to agree with you, Nell, because I remain unsure as to what the eventual benefits this project will yield. How about putting all that money towards creating alternative power sources?
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JayAshKal said...
Yes Senor, that money is best spent on feeding the poor. But I guess our sense of priority is so bad and twisted.
The only benefit I can gather from this experiment is the boundless energy source we could get. To what end? I do not really know, maybe faster internet downloads.
I know it is not funny, but hey sometime this earth as we know it will have to end and another rebirth of a new "Earth". What can we do to stop this madness? Why can't we wait for God and nature to reclaim what is His and the natural cycle of birth and rebirth? Madness!-
nutart said...
nothing seemed to happen? I recall it was a physicist who said that even the gentle demise of a butterfly has an effect on the whole Universe.
Thanks for the post, Eric!
It reminded me of the vcd I saw "Fog of War" where Mcnamara would coldly sound off how many lives would be annihilated by using a certain atomic bomb. It was all a mental exercise for him...as well as show of his quietly deadly and vicious ego.
I can picture scientists, physicists, etc in their labs---all sanitized and devoid of seeing humanity---just faced with theories and concepts. My cousin in New York had a young neighbor who committed suicide. His basement room was next to my cousin's. After his death (which was accidentally discovered by the postman), we discovered that he was a nuclear physicist. His basement partition was opened for his relatives to gather his belongings and they were all books about well---some gibberish to me!-
ka tony said...
Eric,
This L H C was featured on the History Channel & indeed very scary. The concept of this is based on the outer space "black hole."
Talking about Big Bang, Black Hole & polar switch. I don't know if you're aware of the Mayan calendar that will end on Dec. 21, 2012. I-Ching calendar as well ends on the year 2012. A recent Nostradamus book discovered mentioning year 2012, that there's a black hole closing to Earth. Lastly the Sumerians/Babylonians stated on their cuneiform writing on a stone tablet, every thousands number of years a planet by the name Nibiru or Planet X, comes close to Earth, thus makes our planet altered it poles!
Scary, Mayan calendar is more accurate than Gregorian (one we are using), Babylonians were great astronomers, the reason why they built Ziggurats for observing the sky. I-Ching never failed its predictions, well as for Nostradamus, though for me I think he's over rated, but coming up with this as well, I wonder where he got the idea?
Thanks Eric,
ka tony-
said...
I remember watching 2001: A Space Odyssey by one of my favorite directors, Stanley Kubrick. One's first impression with the movie could be nothing really but space exploration but one will be surprised that beyond the special effects, there are clues and hidden messages being communicated to the viewer. From the dawn of man to the future. More details explained here
http://www.kubrick2001.com/
For all we know, scientists are totally maniacal regarding discoveries, they would even stop eating, drinking, sleeping just to finish an experiment. Eureka! and get gaga to be remembered for their achievements. I believe that they don't have the right to compromise the lives of other people, here on Earth. I can't help but fear the unknown and the "what-could-be" situations. And I hope this could be reviewed and hopefully stopped for the benefit of mankind.-
said...
By the way, after watching the presentation in http://www.kubrick2001.com/
Let me know your thoughts about it.-
said...
This amazing piece of info ! A breakthrough in science indeed and the grave danger is if the technology is harnessed to destroy and not to merely test and simulate :)
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Señor Enrique said...
Indeed it's madness, Mario!
As Sancho stated in his affidavit:
quote
From a psychological point of view, physicists are a curious group. We are responsible for creating scientific explanations for the nature of God and the universe, and we sometimes act with an arrogant fundamentalism. It is not strange that fundamentalist scientists behave like fundamentalist religious people. Both groups believe in their dogmas with such force that they can justify acts of collective murder all over the world.
unquote
Remember the Manhattan Project headed by Robert Oppenheimer which created the atomic bomb? And when Oppenheimer was asked to stay after the success of the A-bomb so he could further develop and enhance this weapon of mass destruction along with other scientists from post-war Germany and Russia, he refused. And what happened afterwards was a concerted effort by the Department of War to discredit him and destroy his career as a civilian.-
Señor Enrique said...
Was that the same Mcnamara who distorted the intelligence reports on Vietnam so he could convince the world that the US was winning the war against the Vietcong? Darn!
As for physicists playing God, that's definitely scary. But I guess, since they're armed with mathematics they somehow feel even more invincible in proving to the world that they hold the "answers" to all of life's mysteries.
Nonetheless, one physicist I truly admire from way back during the '70s -- even before Stephen Hawking gained worldwide prominence -- is Gary Zukab who authored "The Dancing Wu-Li Masters" and during the late '90s, "Seat Of The Soul."
As for that poor young man, the nuclear physicist who committed suicide in NY, it reminds me of what a doctor friend once told us at a dinner party in New York. He said he hated being a doctor and everything about it. The only reason he pursued it was because of his nagging Jewish mother so she'd have a doctor son to introduce to her friends at the country club.
He also said that many people may be impressed by the "title," but what most ordinary folks don't realize is the intense competition amongst all doctors to become a somebody -- a "well known doctor" for having discovered or invented something to benefit mankind. Thus, though kept a under the rug, so to speak, is the fact that there are many doctors -- due to inability to gain respect from their peers -- suffer from some malady like alcoholism or drug addiction; our friend was of the latter and eventually died from drug overdose.
The reason I said this is my concern that the thousands of scientists involved in Large Hadron Collider may be after the elusive "fame" only. And that would really be scary.-
Señor Enrique said...
I never saw the Discovery Channel program on LHC, Ka Tony, but CNN has been featuring news clips of it constantly these past few days.
But do you know what suddenly came to mind also? That Biosphere project in Arizona that was mainly funded by the Texas oil heir Ed Bass. Didn't it have some embarrassing ending or something?
As for the 2012, I had been discussing it via email with a fellow blogger, Dave of Highway Drift, of and on for some time now. He has some interesting information on it. He's a very smart young man whom you might enjoy exchanging thoughts with, Ka Tony. His site's URL:
http://highwaydrift.blogspot.com/
Interesting point you raised indeed which makes this LHC even more suspect.-
Señor Enrique said...
You're right, El Cineasta. And our literature has its share of mad scientists as well ... hehehe. They can be obsessive indeed and won't stop at anything until they've proven their theories.
Thanks for sharing that URL on Kubrik. Please give me some time to view and absorb it, before giving my thoughts on it. I'll tell you now, though, I like Kubrik's works. Clockwork Orange is another masterpiece of his :)-
Señor Enrique said...
I wouldn't be surprised at all, BW, if somehow the military has a discreet role in this LHC effort.
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escape said...
i saw it in the news. i hope that they'll use it for something good.
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said...
It is clearly an experiment on a stupendous scale. It was a real scare mind you, 1% is not that impossible to occur; it's a high probability.
And to think, if that 'massless' atomic element would go haywire, we could all be sucked up into oblivion in no time at all. I hope not. But it's really a legitimate concern and methinks the scientists behind this is a tadirresponsible.-
Señor Enrique said...
I see no point in recreating the Big Bang theory at such cost, donG. And with the possibility of creating horrendous results, too, that might see the end of us all. Too much!
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Señor Enrique said...
I can see a mad scientist times a thousand gigling and rubbing their hands as they exctedly await the result of recreating their Big Bang theory, Major Tom. But for what purpose? I am yet to read something or any thing of a positive result from which that would tremendously benefit mankind and advance our other branches of science as well -- like in the realm of nano medicine, perpetual free energy, and etc.
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ka tony said...
Oh yeah Eric,
I remember that Biosphere project in Arizona, very expensive project in which they tried to copy the "Earth's Ecology" I'm not sure how big it was, but it was enclosed. In it where tropical plants, rain forest, etc... which I think they got the idea from an old scifi movie of Sean Connery, I forgot the title of the movie but the people lived in an enclosed plastic dome called the "vortex."
Eric, I went to Yucatan (my 4th time) last March, again for another seminar & to watch the "descending snake" at the pyramid of the Mayan Serpent God Kukulcan (Quetzalcoatl), Chichen Itza. The shadow of serpents run down the sides of the staircase and the serpent shadow connects to the serpent's head below the stairs. This phenomena only happens during the spring and autumn equinoxes. And with this we attend the series of seminars according to the level Mayan studies of you're in. Mayan history, culture, calendar & the year 2012. Eric, for me this is one of the most interesting mystery as the Big Bang! You can check this out...
http://www.mayanmajix.com/index.html-
nutart said...
My husband explained the Large Hadron Collider to me last night like he would to a teen-ager :-). That's the way he usually explains techno stuff to me. So with this, I was just aghast at the magnitude of the whole project. And mind you, the won't just do the experiment once but a whole year(?!)or two until they are satisfied with their findings??
There is the free energy which my husband is more gung-ho about and this alternative sourcing of energy is more undertaken by individuals (un-learned but nevertheless unorthodox genuises) who take their money from their own earnings. No corporate nor government backing at all!
I'm just amazed at the priorities of these moneyed elites!!! It is beyond words how they can in their selfishness just forego the humanity's and Mother Earth's situation!!
My parents have also been reading up on the Mayan calendar. A lot of books have sprung up on these---synchronicity! The Higher Minds may also be at work to save us!
And to go back---the mainstream media wills also have its share in this madness! They should wake up and expose the Truth for a massive wake-up call of everyone!
History has shown us what can happen and how things are manipulated by psychotics in the halls of power and money. Now what to do?-
Señor Enrique said...
I had just checked out the Mayan Majix site, Ka Tony and had bookmarked it for a more in-depth visit as soon as I have the free time to do so. It definitely seems very intriguing so far.
Perhaps, one of these days, I will get to visit Yucatan myself and see that phenomenon you had mentioned.
Many thanks for all these inspirations, Ka Tony!-
Señor Enrique said...
Now that you've also mentioned it, Bernadette, I will delve more into this Mayan Majix site that Ka Tony had shared with us. But I want to do it when I have the time to dedicate to it instead of merely skimming through it.
I don't know, I still haven't come across anything that justifies this Large Hadron Collider.-
Señor Enrique said...
"By the way, after watching the presentation in http://www.kubrick2001.com/
Let me know your thoughts about it."
Fascinating short, El Cineasta, and with equally riveting premise, too. Its philosophical or allegorical arguments seem valid and reflect many of man's inventions from the turn of the century.
Thanks for sharing!-
ka tony said...
Hi Eric,
I would like to thank you & specially El Cineasta for the website... http://www.kubrick2001.com/ it's a great summarized animated visual presentation of the "2001 Space Odyssey." First time I have seen it!
I have seen "2001" for the first time way back in Manila at the Cinerama Theater in the late 60s. Seeing it once will definitely fill you up with its rich visuals, great musical soundtrack & symbols, one can not gasp everything with just one sitting. There's more than a lot to absorb!!! I came out of the movie house with more questions & puzzled, than when I came in to watch the film. The symbolism of Kubrick's films & the subliminal lyrics of The Beatles were great influence to me & my paintings!
After seeing "2001 Space Odyssey" several times, I wonder whose idea came first about Earth's visit by the "ancient alien," the book of Erich von Daniken "Chariots of the Gods" or Kubrick's "2001"? Both came out the same year, 1968!!! But if Kubrick adopted page by page his "2001" movie from the original book by Clark "The Sentinel" which he wrote in 1950, then the idea of "ancient alien or astronauts" who visited the Earth, I'll give the credit to both Clark & Kubrick!
Daniken's "Chariots of the Gods?" were combination of different theories; the Bible, Torah, Ramayana, archeology, tradition & myth. According to Daniken, the Earth was visited by aliens from another world. Like a vehicle describe in the Bible "a wheel within a wheel"...was it a helicopter? A big "whale" that swallowed Jonah & stayed in its belly for 40 days... "was it a submarine?" How about the ancient Nazca Lines & figures in Peru which one can only see the whole image from a plane, were these directional landing strips for the "alien astronauts?" Who taught the Mayans the most accurate calendar, their knowledge of astronomy, math & medicine? Daniken believe that the only possible way human can achieved these knowledge was from the "ancient astronauts" who landed on Earth from the sky with their loud "Thunder bird Chariots."
The same theory as Kubrick's "2001 Space Odyssey" The "Genesis" symbolism of the black "alien monolith" slab, landed in Africa. Why Africa of all the places? I think because life started in Africa, in fact the oldest 160,000 year old human skull called "Herto" was unearth in Ethiopia.
I think Kubrick's philosophy & symbolism of the "alien monolith" which the Earthling apes touched & gained knowledge, was based on the "apple" in the garden of Eden. In which "God" told Adam & Eve not touch, for they will gain the knowledge of sin. As the apes touched the "monolith" they learn to use simple weapons that can kill & earn them power. So as Cain, to earn recognition he slew one fourth of the Earth's population ...his brother Abel!
As the knowledge of men became wider & deeper with technology, his relationship with other human beings became smaller. Thus life became boring, lonely, his time became faster, even the pleasure of eating were all artificially adopted to his lifestyle. Men don't think anymore (remember Eric, once I comment that one can be an artist, a writer, designer, etc... because of computers?), everything was kept & relayed on computers. When computer malfunction men can not function as well! He can not fix "Hal (the computer in the film 2001)" because there is no computer to be able to fix "Hal" so basically men became an ordinary "operator." Frustrated & confused, men begin to explore once again, "like a fish out of the water."
After exploring & still can't find solution, men gave up! Like an accident, when one experience a near death & can see his life flashback to his childhood, this was the feeling of the astronaut of "2001." He saw (notice the eyeball on the opening of the website animation & repeated on part III?) once again the "crescent & the sun" an ancient Persian religious symbol of Zoroastrianism (religion of Omar Khayyam & the late Freddie Mercury of Queen), with it the film segue to the music of Strauss' "Zarathustra" which the music was based on Nietzche's book about "superman" (the super race, which Hitler's Aryan Race adopted for his Nazi Party).
As the "2001" astronaut experiencing the flashback of his life, from an old person to a fetus, it was a symbol or feeling of regret. Men should have stopped when he found the beauty & the pleasure of life! Stop exploring ways to be equal or better than GOD!
I hope I was able to answer what El Cineasta is looking for, well this how I deciphered this film. I'm not saying that this was Kubrick's hidden theory or philosophy behind "2001 Space Odyssey" but another dimension!
Once again many thanks to you Eric & El Cineasta for giving me the pleasure of expressing my interpretation,
ka tony-
Señor Enrique said...
Whoa! Am simply dumbfounded by your in-depth analysis of the short presentation on Kubrick's 2001 Space Oddysey, Ka Tony.
Actually saw the film only once way back then and I must admit that I've practically forgotten most of it. But thank you for your response. I bet El Cineasta will appreciate it just as much if not even more.
I will read your comment a couple of more times to fully absorb the many points you've raised.
Many thanks, Ka Tony! I am humbled by your generosity :)-
said...
Since the start of Iraq war in 2003, the US alone has spent more than 500 USD, roughly a third of which spent on ammunition alone.
The LHC accelerator itself, built from 1998, cost "only" around 4.3 billion USD and was funded by 27 countries.
Mankind has definitely its priorities wrong. Had we used the same amount of resources we've spent and still spending in countless stupid wars, to scientific projects such as the LHC, we would have been colonizing nearby stars by now. May I just remind everyone that everyday things like radio, television, great majority of high-tech equipment used in all industries, medicine, nuclear power(the only reasonable alternative to fossil fuels) and not to mention the computer you are all using now are results of "purely theoretical" research.
Regarding the safety of LHC, ignorance indeed is the mother of fear. No other human endeavor has been so carefully scrutinized as the LHC. The idea of building it was already conceived in 1984. And approved after a decade of deliberations. Each step in building the components was well-studied. The fear of micro blackholes has been dismissed. Even if produced, they're too infinitesimally small and will decay instantaneously. Secondly, such high energy collisions at orders of magnitude above the LHC happen at the earth's upper atmosphere.
So let's stop this alarmist kind of postings and just enjoy the show...and benefit from its findings in the future to come.-
said...
Mogli has beaten me to the draw, but let me add something else: what's up with the discussion of the dangers of LHC turning into scientist-bashing???
As for me, a lot of the fears could have been eliminated if we only set up the LHC somewhere in outer space. Then again, if it happens to threaten the solar system, the galaxy or the entire universe, oh dear, here we go again.-
Señor Enrique said...
To MogLi and Dave:
Many thanks for sharing with us your opposing point of view.
We'd like to hear more from the others with a similar stance, and please, if not too much trouble, point out certain facts to diffuse our "alarmist views."
Also, are we to assume them that those physicists who are against LHC like Luis Sancho is just jealous; thus, his opposition?-
Señor Enrique said...
To Dave:
You're right! It certainly has led to scientist-bashing. Perhaps, other pro-LHC folks could lead us back to the original intent: share us your insight so as to quell our inchoate fears.-
Señor Enrique said...
Oh, darn! Wish I had known about this book last week so I could've checked out the fair for a copy :(
I'll the bookstores this weekend.
Thanks for sharing, Romy! How are you?
