Higgs Boson. New Humble Pope. Antibiotics. Vaccine Propaganda. Flu Shot. Iraq War. Goddard’s Rocket.

 

For “Summary Saturday”, News, Some New, Some Old:

Physicists say they have found the ‘God particle,’ a Higgs boson.  The Associated Press

This 2011 image provided by CERN, shows a real CMS proton-proton collision in which four high energy electrons (green lines and red towers) are observed in a 2011 event. The event shows characteristics expected from the decay of a Higgs boson but is also consistent with background Standard Model physics processes. Physicists say they are now confident they have discovered a long-sought subatomic particle known as a Higgs boson. The European Organization for Nuclear Research, called CERN, says Thursday March 14, 2013 a look at all the data from 2012 shows that what they found last year was a version of what is popularly referred to as the "God particle." (AP Photo/CERN)

Geneva. “It helps solve one of the most fundamental riddles of the universe: how the Big Bang created something out of nothing 13.7 billion years ago.

In what could go down as one of the great Eureka! moments in physics — and win somebody the Nobel Prize — scientists said Thursday that after a half-century quest, they are confident they have found a Higgs boson, the elusive subatomic speck sometimes called the "God particle."”  More at: http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/world/56006081-68/higgs-boson-cern-scientists.html.csp

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What the Higgs Boson Does (Infographic)

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Vatican Adjusts To New Pope With Humble Style
(Reuters, March 14, 2013)

Vatican City - “The Vatican, an age-old institution used to having almost everything done by the book, is bracing for the unscripted papacy.  In less than 24 hours after he became the first non-European pope in some 1,300 years, Francis seemed to break more rules than his predecessor did in eight years.

"We are going to have to get used to a new way of doing things," said Father Tom Rosica, an amiable Canadian priest who runs a Catholic television station in Canada and was drafted to Rome to help with the media influx during the papal transition.

Indeed, the first words out of Francis' mouth after he became pope sent a signal that things would be different.  He did not start by using the customary "Praised be Jesus Christ" or "Dear brothers and sisters", but employed a much more familiar and inviting "Buona Sera" - good evening in Italian - to address drenched crowds in a rain-swept St. Peter's Square.

"I was stunned by what happened last night. I didn't expect a pontificate to begin with 'Buona Sera,'" Rosica said.

On the morning after his election, the Vatican was scrambling to meet the needs of a new-style papacy.  "We have to have patience, we are starting something new. There are a lot of things we don't know yet," said Father Federico Lombardi, the chief Vatican spokesman, as he faced a barrage of reporters' questions about what to expect.  The answer is probably: expect the unexpected.

Even before he delighted the crowds with his unorthodox style on the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica, Francis give a hint of a new style to his fellow cardinals.  NO THRONE, THANK YOU!   While he was still in the Sistine Chapel, his aides had set up a throne-like chair on a platform for him to sit on while the cardinals pledged their obedience one at a time.  Instead, he came down to their lower level and remained standing while they each greeted him.

Less than an hour later, he shunned the papal limousine that was waiting to take him to a Vatican residence for a meal.  "And as the last bus pulls up, guess who gets off? It's Pope Francis. I guess he told the driver 'That's OK, I'll just go with the boys,'" said Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York.”  More at: http://wwrn.org/articles/39307/

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Antibiotics resistance 'as big a risk as terrorism' - medical chief. Curb on antibiotics. Too many antibiotics could be bad for your health.  

“Professor Dame Sally Davies: "If you get an infection in your bloodstream, in about 10, 20 years it might be untreatable, and  described it as a "ticking time bomb. 

The danger posed by growing resistance to antibiotics should be ranked along with terrorism on a list of threats to the nation, the government's chief medical officer for England has said.  She warned that routine operations could become deadly in just 20 years if we lose the ability to fight infection.

She also said the over-use of antibiotics was an issue in animal husbandry, agriculture and fish farming.   More at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-21737844

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Dr. Oz Alert: Could Overuse of Antibiotics Create a New Superbug?

“A Dr. Oz alert! Are we headed for an antibiotic apocalypse? Find out how your doctor's overuse of antibiotics could trigger deadly strains of superbugs. See why what we all believe about antibiotics may not be true. Plus, learn what your body language says about your health and spot the signs you could be missing!”  

And why you should not take all of your antibiotic prescription, and more.” 

Must see video in four short parts at: http://www.doctoroz.com/episode/dr-oz-alert-could-overuse-antibiotics-create-new-superbug?video=17777

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Misuse of Antibiotics and a Deadly New Generation of Superbugs

“New strains of antibiotic-resistant bacteria are developing, and our modern methods of fighting infection are at risk. What is causing this? And what can you do to stop it?”    Article at:  http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/misuse-antibiotics-create-deadly-new-generation-superbugs

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Vaccine Propaganda Heats Up—The Latest Scandals You Need to Be Aware of

“Three recent studies severely challenge the claim that the flu vaccine will protect you against the flu. A multicenter study by researchers in eight European countries indicated that overall vaccine effectiveness against influenza A/H3N2 in the first months of the season was 38%, but after mid-February, it dropped to -1%.

Norwegian researchers blame vitamin D deficiency for the latest flu epidemic in the Netherlands.

You can help prevent the flu and other flu-like diseases using dietary interventions, making sure your vitamin D and gut flora are optimized, avoiding sugar and processed foods, being more meticulous about washing your hands, getting enough exercise and sleep, and taking natural remedies like oil of oregano and garlic.

Twenty-one percent of American parents are now delaying or refusing some or all of the recommended childhood vaccines.

“Look... we cannot win the war against disease by trying to eradicate microorganisms in a misguided attempt to make certain viruses and bacteria extinct. It doesn't work that way! When there was an attempt in the past century to kill certain bacteria with widespread use of antibiotics in animals and humans, what happened? The bacteria found a way to mutate and survive and now we have a serious problem with antibiotic resistant bacterial infections.”    More at: https://www.epatienthealthcare.com/2013/02/12/vaccine-propaganda-heats-up-the-latest-scandals-you-need-to-be-aware-of/

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Flu shot ingredients

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10 Years Later: Looking Back on the Iraq War So We Can Clearly Look Forward

“"The struggle of man against power is the struggle of memory against forgetting."   It's one of Milan Kundera's most famous lines, and it's one worth keeping in mind as we approach March 20, the 10th anniversary of one of the biggest disasters in the history of the United States. That was the day George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, and a team of others -- along with much of Washington and a very complicit mainstream media -- took the nation to war against Iraq.

The devastating consequences of that war will continue for decades, but a full accounting has still yet to happen. And that in itself has consequences. Allowing the toxic mixture of lies, deception and rationalizations that led to that war to go unchallenged makes it more likely that we will make similar tragic mistakes in the future. So I hope we can use this moment to assess what really happened, to look back in order to look forward.”  More at:  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/arianna-huffington/iraq-10-years-later_b_2823089.html

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On This Day:

First liquid-fueled rocket, Mar 16, 1926:

“The first man to give hope to dreams of space travel is American Robert H. Goddard, who successfully launches the world's first liquid-fueled rocket from his Aunt Effie's farm at Auburn, Massachusetts, on March 16, 1926. The rocket traveled for 2.5 seconds at a speed of about 60 mph, reaching an altitude of 41 feet and landing 184 feet away. The rocket was 10 feet tall, constructed out of thin pipes, and was fueled by liquid oxygen and gasoline.

Goddard continued his innovative rocket work until his death in 1945. His work was recognized by the aviator Charles A. Lindbergh, who helped secure him a grant from the Guggenheim Fund for the Promotion of Aeronautics. Using these funds, Goddard set up a testing ground in Roswell, New Mexico, which operated from 1930 until 1942. During his tenure there, he made 31 successful flights, including one of a rocket that reached 1.7 miles off the ground in 22.3 seconds. Meanwhile, while Goddard conducted his limited tests without official U.S. support, Germany took the initiative in rocket development and by September 1944 was launching its V-2 guided missiles against Britain to devastating effect. During the war, Goddard worked in developing a jet-thrust booster for a U.S. Navy seaplane. He would not live to see the major advances in rocketry in the 1950s and '60s that would make his dreams of space travel a reality. NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, is named in his honor.”

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Yesterday:

Jay called, and I told him I wasn’t going to pick him up.  His insistence that he and Ray should carry the AC instead of putting it on the hand-truck the day before, had hurt Ray’s bad back.

Ray and I got the new Heat/Air unit out of my van.  First, we cut off the bottom of the box, took the unit out of it’s case and just put the unit on the 4-wheel hand-truck.  Both our backs hurt, but it had to be done.  We installed the case in the window, and for a change, we were going to use those little side frame curtains that come with window AC’s.   But after an hour we could see that they weren't going to work in that window, and took them off. 

We made sure the case had a 1/2” drop to it, so it would drain right.  We brought the unit in, up the steps on the hand-truck, and slipped it in the case.  Plugged it in, and it worked fine on heat and air.  We always use thick board insulation on each side, so we cut some to fit, and aluminum taped them in place.  Later, we will put white vinyl siding on the outside, and white paneling on the inside, to make it look better. 

In the afternoon, it started to get warm, so I turned on my new Heat/Air unit, and it won’t cool.  It tries to start, but just doesn’t take hold.  This is the one that is hard-wired in for HUD specs.  It works on heat, but not air, so it must be a start or run capacitor or something.  I’ll call Home Depot and see what they are going to do about it.

Thankfully, I could turn on another AC in my bedroom, so I slept well, but it will be hot in the living room today.