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Monday, July 9, 2012

How big is your infinite?

A Christian Science perspective: Recent news of the possibility of scientists' discovery of the subatomic particle Higgs boson, also known as the 'God particle,' evokes fresh thought about what makes up our world.

By Sue Brightman / July 9, 2012

One Father?s Day I wrote my dad a poem. I wanted to express how much he had opened the breadth of my awareness and my appreciation for life. But I wasn?t quite sure how to capture it.

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Then I remembered a question posed once by a Sunday School teacher: ?How big is your infinite?? she had asked. This provocative question became the entr?e to my poem of appreciation for the person who had taught me to fish, to appreciate other cultures, and to travel ? locally and abroad ? with a sense of wonder.

Even more than that, though, he taught me to actively explore my questions about the reality of life itself by turning to the spiritual.

?Turning to the spiritual? has different meanings for different people. No doubt, however, our various meanings always start with a Higher Power. Perhaps we could even say the Father-Mother of the infinite, whom I was taught to call God.

?God is Love,? wrote the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, Mary Baker Eddy, echoing the biblical declaration. ?More than this we cannot ask, higher we cannot look, farther we cannot go? (?Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures,? p. 6).

Thinking about the infinitude of a Higher Power, or divine Love, we may be enticed to revisit what we?ve learned about our universe. Over the last few years alone, new discoveries have been made that have expanded our knowledge about the vastness of life beyond our original concepts.

For example, a NASA photograph of the Tadpole Galaxy shows the result of two galaxies colliding. Around the newly formed mega galaxy, including its newly formed ?tail,? are thousands of what appear to be stars. It was pointed out to me that each ?star? is actually another galaxy. And each galaxy, like our own Milky Way, has roughly 100 billion stars. What awe such a realization can inspire!

Very recently, the tentative discovery of the Higgs boson represents a potential milestone in the exploration of nature. The discovery of this highly sought-after particle in the world of physics, also known as the ?God particle,? would uncover the mechanism that gives mass to the fundamental particles that serve as the building blocks for the physical universe.

With continuing advances in technology, scientists and ardent celestial observers are constantly searching for an even larger picture of the observable cosmos. Such exploration has been a natural inclination of man throughout all time. It is also an opportunity to grasp in some measure infinite Mind, God, and His divine creation, including man. As the Bible poetically poses, ?Canst thou by searching find out God? Canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection?? (Job 11:7).

Turning to the spiritual, we can indeed expand our concept of the infinite. And expanding our definition of infinity can increase our access to ideas and possibilities, both for ourselves and for our world. It can redefine our concept of time, minimizing the grip of false urgency about things of little importance. It can shift our sense of place, distance, and even identity. It can crystallize our priorities by reorienting us to activities of greater substance in the larger scheme of things. It can even enable us to help others grasp a bigger, more hopeful picture of life. Above all, expanding our view of the infinite can acquaint us more closely with divine Love, the intelligence of the universe.

The Old Testament prophets and certainly the Galilean Prophet, Christ Jesus, as well as the Persian poet Rumi, all wrote of their felt connection to the Divine; rock-solid even without the advances of technology and science. How heartening to know that we, too, have access to God, divine Life, and the spiritual goodness He imparts. ?Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace; thereby good shall come unto thee,? promises Job (22:21).

It?s a worthy question to ask ourselves and our children: How big is your infinite?

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To learn more about Christian Science, visit ChristianScience.com.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/b0CQ-iXM9ak/How-big-is-your-infinite

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Libyans hail vote as start of 'freedom era'

Nine months after Moammar Gadhafi's death at the hands of rebels, Libya has defied fears it would descend into violence by pulling off a largely peaceful election, its first national and free vote in 60 years.

Libyans, many of whom had cast their ballot with tears in their eyes, hailed Saturday's poll as a chance to draw a line under Gadhafi's dictatorship and forge a brighter future for their North African country.

While two deaths were reported as anti-election protesters sought to disrupt the vote, the mood was jubilant with revelers in Tripoli letting off firecrackers and locals in the eastern city of Benghazi sending up rocket-propelled grenades.

Even in Gadhafi's hometown of Sirte, which saw some of the worst fighting in last year's uprising to end his 42-year rule, there was relief that the vote had gone smoothly.

"Allahu akbar (God is greatest), this is the freedom era - for the first time Sirte is free," chanted a local woman as she celebrated with her family.

The interim Libyan government and Western backers of last year's revolution, which relied on NATO bombing for support, called it as an early triumph for democracy.

"The United States is proud of the role that we played in supporting the Libyan revolution and protecting the Libyan people, and we look forward to working closely with the new Libya," U.S. President Barack Obama said in a statement.

No clear outcome is expected until Monday and questions remain on how the new 200-head national assembly will function, the importance of Islamic groups within it, and how growing demands for more autonomy in the east are to be addressed.

A coalition of 65 liberal parties led by Mahmoud Jibril, the war-time rebel prime minister, claimed an early lead but the national election commission said that was premature given the small limited number of returns from polling stations.

"We have no indication of the advance of any party against the other ... When they talk about winners, advancing parties, all this is speculation," commission chairman Nuri Al-Abbar told a news conference in Tripoli on Sunday.

Mohamad Sawan, head of the Justice and Construction Party, which is the political branch of the Muslim Brotherhood in Libya, told Reuters that any leaks of results were `"simply propaganda.''

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A total of 1.7 million of some 2.8 million registered voters had cast their ballots, a turnout of around 60 percent.

But while the election itself went more smoothly than many had expected, the road ahead could still be rocky.

The storming of four voting centers by protesters in Benghazi, cradle of last year's uprising, underlined that eastern demands ranging from greater political representation for the region to all-out federalism will not go away.

Local gunmen demonstrated their grip on the eastern oil terminals from which the bulk of Libya's oil exports flow by blocking flows from three main ports a day before the vote. The National Oil Corporation confirmed on Sunday that activities were back to normal after a 48-hour stoppage.

"I think one should distinguish that willingness to disrupt the process from the much wider feeling in the east that the east has been marginalized," U.N. envoy Ian Martin said of the local feeling that post-Gadhafi authorities in Tripoli have not addressed its economic or welfare needs.

1 dead in Libya voting violence

Many easterners were furious that their region, one of three in Libya, was only allotted 60 seats in the new assembly that will elect a prime minister and cabinet - compared to 102 in the western region that includes Tripoli.

In a last-minute bid to appease them, the interim government last week stripped the assembly of its task of naming the panel that will write Libya's new constitution and ruled that Libyans themselves would pick it in yet another election.

But the move was either ignored or dismissed as trickery by easterners who suspect they are being short-changed in the run-up to the full parliamentary elections to be held in 2013.

"We don't have a law to control political parties, we don't have a constitution yet. How can they consider this a legitimate congress?" said 25-year-old student Abdelwahab Al-Ghazali in Benghazi, explaining why he boycotted the poll.

Claudia Gazzini of International Crisis Group said the eastern grievances would have to be addressed, even if a move to all-out federalism was unlikely.

"The government recognizes there is an overall unhappiness in the east and they are willing to address that issue. It will probably be termed more as de-centralization," she noted.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/48111019/ns/world_news-mideast_n_africa/

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Peterson says 'truth will surface'

In mostly every corner of the country, the date July 8 has little significance.? In Pittsburgh, it should rival the National Holiday that falls four days earlier.

As pointed out by the folks at BehindTheSteelCurtain.com, the Steelers were founded on July 8, 1933.? That makes them 79 years old, as of today.

Actually, they were the Pirates at first.? The teams didn?t become the Steelers until 1940, the name coming as a result of a contest administered with the help of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.? And the Steelers didn?t become the Steelers until 32 years laters, when rookie tailback Franco Harris caught on the run a ball that had bounced off the shoulder pads of Raiders safety Jack Tatum, lifting the Steelers to the first postseason win in franchise history.

It also was only the second postseason game in franchise history.

Two years later, the Steelers embarked on a run of four Super Bowl wins in six seasons, creating a standard that has caused many to forget the nearly 40 years of futility that preceded the play that represents the moment the fortunes of a franchise turned, dramatically.

But an ever luckier event allowed Art Rooney and the Steelers to be in position for what came to be known as the Immaculate Reception.

Though it?s widely believed that Rooney purchased the Steelers after winning big at the horse track, he paid the $2,500 franchise fee several years before a legendary run at the races.? In About Three Bricks Shy of a Load, the Roy Blount Jr. book chronicling the team?s 1973 season, Blount explained that ?the Chief? once parlayed $300 into much more than a quarter-million.

The specific figure still isn?t known.

?The Chief does not like to talk about the killing,? Blount wrote.? ?I asked him about it in the car and he wouldn?t say anything at all.?

Blount?s research suggested that, prior to that notorious weekend in New York, Rooney ?owed bookies money . . . and the Steeler franchise was in bad shape.?? According to Blount, Rooney previously wasn?t rich.? After ?the killing,? he was.

?Every time I talked to a new informed source, the figure got more confidential and higher,? Blount wrote.? ?All I am at liberty to say is that it may have been a good deal more than $380,000 ? 1936 dollars ? and it may have been a lot more.?

According to Blount, Rooney?s bets were based on information from Giants owner Tim Mara, ?which was, as they say, good.?? Rooney hit on as many as 11 straight winners, and he had to hire an armored car to bring the money back to Pittsburgh.? Even then, ?a good piece of it was somehow lost along the way.?

Thus, while Rooney already owned the ?Pirates? when he swashbuckled his way through Saratoga, the Pirates may have never become the Steelers, and the Steelers may have never become the Steelers, without Rooney?s historic run of good fortune.

So if you?re a Steelers fan, today may be the perfect day to take $300 to local equine racing facility and, you know, see what happens.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/07/08/adrian-peterson-says-truth-will-surface/related

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San Diego fireworks malfunction in big, fast flash

Spectators watch from Coronado Island in San Diego as a malfunction causes the entire Fourth of July fireworks show go off all at once, Wednesday, July 4, 2012. The Coast Guard says the mishap occurred minutes before the scheduled opening of the Big Bay Boom show. More than 500,000 people witnessed the short-lived spectacle. No injuries were reported. (AP Photo/The U-T San Diego, James Gregg) MANDATORY CREDIT: Photo by James Gregg U-T San Diego; NO SALES, NO ARCHIVING, SAN DIEGO COUNTY OUT, TV OUT, MAGS OUT, FOREIGN OUT, TABLOIDS OUT, AP IMAGES OUT, COMMERCIAL INTERNET USE OUT.

In this photo provided by Ben Baller, a yachts are illuminated in the foreground as a malfunction causes the entire Fourth of July fireworks show to go off all at once over San Diego Bay near Coronado Island in San Diego, Wednesday, July 4, 2012. The Coast Guard says the mishap occurred minutes before the scheduled opening of the Big Bay Boom show. More than 500,000 people witnessed the short-lived spectacle. No injuries were reported. (AP Photo/Ben Baller) MANDATORY CREDIT

Tyler Christensen, 7, and brother Logan, 5, roast marshmallows on Coronado Island in San Diego while waiting for the Fourth of July fireworks display Wednesday, July 4, 2012. A malfunction caused all of the fireworks to go off at once, disappointing many spectators who expected to see a 15-minute performance over San Diego Bay. The Coast Guard says the mishap occurred minutes before the scheduled opening of the Big Bay Boom show. More than 500,000 people witnessed the short-lived spectacle. No injuries were reported. (AP Photo/The U-T San Diego, James Gregg) MANDATORY CREDIT: Photo by James Gregg U-T San Diego; NO SALES, NO ARCHIVING, SAN DIEGO COUNTY OUT, TV OUT, MAGS OUT, FOREIGN OUT, TABLOIDS OUT, AP IMAGES OUT, COMMERCIAL INTERNET USE OUT.

SAN DIEGO (AP) ? The San Diego Trolley was packed. Hotel rooms facing the bay were sold out. And local radio was set to simulcast a patriotic score for the Fourth of July show.

But instead of 20 minutes of fireworks, the crowd in San Diego got about 20 seconds of giant, deafening booms after a computer mishap sent multiple bulb-shaped explosions over the bay.

The show's producer blamed a "technical glitch" Thursday, saying an error in its computer system caused tens of thousands of fireworks on four barges to go off simultaneously with a single command.

"It was like a giant, serious bomb went off," said Mike Newton, 29, a photographer who watched from a friend's 28th-floor apartment. "That's what it looked like and felt like. It hit you right in the chest."

There were no reported injuries and Garden State Fireworks, based in Millington, N.J., apologized and vowed to determine precisely what went wrong. The 122-year-old company produced hundreds of other shows across the country Wednesday night.

August Santore, part-owner of Garden State Fireworks, said the company felt terrible, but the mood was unforgiving among many of the hundreds of thousands of people who witnessed the explosions before they could get off their first "ooh" or "ah."

A patriotic score was set to be simulcast on a local radio station. The show was set to stream live on the Web.

The crowd stood in quiet disbelief, with many wondering what just happened to a show billed as the Big Bay Boom. Word went out on the radio about 20 minutes later that it was over.

Bre Nelson, a 26-year-old wedding planner, watched from a hillside street packed with "tons and tons of people and cars."

"It was really neat to see the entire sky light up but then we just waited there," said Nelson. "Everyone was just sitting around."

By late Thursday afternoon, the fireworks flop had become a hit online with about 2 million views of the footage on YouTube.

Sponsors contributed about $380,000 to host the show, said Sandy Purdon, owner of a bay marina and the chief organizer. The Port of San Diego contributed $145,000 as title sponsor, with hotels and restaurants giving much of the rest.

The port district gave an additional $50,000 worth of services, including traffic control, portable toilets and cleanup.

The fireworks cost $125,000 and the barges and tugs cost $45,000, Purdon said. After permits, publicity, buses and other costs, there was about $50,000 left, which was earmarked to help young military families though the San Diego Armed Services YMCA.

The port district said in a statement that it was "very disappointed" in what it described as an apparent technical error.

It was unclear if anyone will get reimbursed. Purdon, who witnessed the explosions from his home with his sponsors, said he had discussed with Garden State Fireworks the possibility that it foots the bill for next year's Fourth of July show.

Garden State Fireworks has staged pyrotechnic displays for the 1988 Winter Olympics, the Statue of Liberty Bicentennial Celebration and New Year's Eve in Central Park in New York.

"We are a good strong company, and we rely on technology. We'll take the ridicule as long as no one was injured," Santore said.

The debacle will likely fuel a long-running controversy in San Diego about damage that fireworks displays inflict on marine life. Environmental attorney Marco Gonzalez has repeatedly challenged shows that take place over water, inviting ire and ridicule from critics including San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders.

Gonzalez recently prevailed in court decisions but decided against trying to block this year's show in La Jolla Cove. Still, organizers of a fireworks show over San Diego's Lake Murray canceled this year's show, saying they feared a lawsuit.

"The notion that fireworks are critical to Independence Day celebrations has just been blown out of proportion with these large shows," Gonzalez said.

___

Associated Press writer Sue Manning in Los Angeles contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/aa9398e6757a46fa93ed5dea7bd3729e/Article_2012-07-05-US-Fireworks-Fizzle/id-708db67af2ff40fdab5deead02344fb7

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Having trouble getting online? Call your provider

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Having trouble getting online?

Some may find their smartphones working overtime because the family computer couldn't seem to connect to the Internet Monday morning.

You may be one of thousands across the United States who waited too long or simply didn't believe the warnings, and your Internet may have shut down just after midnight because of malware that took over computers around the world more than a year ago.

At 12:01 a.m. EDT, the FBI turned off the Internet servers that were functioning as a temporary safety net to keep infected computers online for the past eight months. The court order the agency had gotten to keep the servers running expired, and it was not renewed.

Now, if your computer is infected, your only hope is your Internet service provider's help desk.

In South Korea, there were no reports from affected computers Monday. As many as 80 computers there are believed to be infected with the malware that may cause problems in Web surfing, down from 1,798 computers in February, according to the government.

"The impact will be limited," said Lee Sang-hun, head of network security at the Korea Communications Commission, a government body. The government and private broadband providers opened helplines and issued warnings. They also asked users to check if their computers were infected and to download antivirus software. South Korea is one of the most wired countries in the world, with more than 90 percent of households connected to broadband Internet.

The problem began when international hackers ran an online advertising scam to take control of more than 570,000 infected computers around the world. When the FBI went in to take down the hackers late last year, agents realized that if they turned off the malicious servers being used to control the computers, all the victims would lose their Internet service.

In a highly unusual move, the FBI set up the safety net. They brought in a private company to install two clean Internet servers to take over for the malicious servers so that people would not suddenly lose their Internet.

And they arranged for a private company to run a website, http://www.dcwg.org, to help computer users determine whether their computer was infected and find links to other computer security business sites where they could find fixes for the problem.

From the onset, most victims didn't even know their computers had been infected, although the malicious software probably slowed their web surfing and disabled their antivirus software, making their machines more vulnerable to other problems.

Efforts to solve the issue have been hindered a bit by a few factors: Many computer users don't fully understand the technologically complex machines they use every day to send e-mail, shop, and surf for information. The cyber world of viruses, malware, bank fraud and Internet scams is often distant and confusing, and warning messages may go unseen or unheeded.

And other people simply don't trust the government, and believe that federal authorities are only trying to spy on them, or take over the Internet, by pushing solutions to the infection. Blogs and other Internet forums are riddled with postings warning of the government using the malware as a ploy to breach American citizens' computers ? a charge that the FBI and other cybersecurity experts familiar with the malware quickly denounced as ridiculous.

There is an underlying sense that this has been much ado about nothing ? like the hoopla over Y2K, when the transition to the year 2000 presented technical problems and fears that some computers would stop working because they were not set up for the date change. In the end there were very few problems.

Considering that there are millions of Internet users across the country, several thousand losing access isn't a big deal ? unless you are one of them.

Rep. Jim Langevin, D-R.I., who co-founded the cybersecurity caucus in Congress, said computer users have a responsibility to practice good cyber hygiene and make sure their computers have not been infected or hijacked by criminals.

"These types of issues are only going to increase as our society relies more and more on the Internet, so it is a reminder that everyone can do their part," he said.

FBI officials have been tracking the number of computers they believe still may be infected by the malware. As of July 4, there were about 45,600 in the U.S. ? nearly 20,000 less than a week earlier. Worldwide, the total is roughly 250,000 infected. The numbers have been steadily declining, and recent efforts by Internet service providers may limit the problems Monday.

Tom Grasso, an FBI supervisory special agent, said many Internet providers have plans to try to help their customers. And some may put technical solutions in place Monday that will correct the server problem. It they do that, the Internet will work, but the malware will remain on victims' computers and could pose future problems.

Other Internet providers have simply braced for the calls to their help lines.

___

Associated Press Technology Writer Youkyung Lee in Seoul, South Korea, contributed to this report.

___

Lolita C. Baldor can be followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/lbaldor

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/having-trouble-getting-online-call-provider-070534439--finance.html

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