God Particle Experiment Nears Countdown

In a vast circular underground tunnel below the French-Swiss border, the final pieces of a gigantic machine are being set in place for an extraordinary investigation into the infinitely small at CERN: Europe's atom-smashing laboratory. If things go according to plan, the greatest experiment in the history of particle physics could unveil a sub-atomic component, the Higgs Boson, which is so tantalising that it has been called "the God Particle." The "Higgs," named after a British physicist, Peter Higgs, who first proposed it in 1964, would fill a gaping hole in the benchmark theory for understanding the physical cosmos. Other work on the so-called Large Hadron Collider (LHC) could explain dark matter and dark energy -- strange phenomena that, stunned astrophysicists discovered a few years ago, account for 96 percent of the Universe. It could shed clues on the mystery of how the Universe came to be. And it may determine whether, as some physicists believe, space-time holds dimensions other than our own. "We are standing on the shoulders of giants. But we want to know better and we want to know more," said a leading CERN investigator, Juergen Schukraft. A gamble costing six billion Swiss francs (almost six billion dollars, 3.9 billion euros) that has harnessed the labours of more than 2,000 physicists from nearly three dozen countries, the LHC is the biggest, most powerful high-energy particle accelerator ever built. "It's fantastic. It's like a baby, only it doesn't take nine months to be born, but 19 years," enthused Daniel Denegri, whose Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) detector is bidding to be first to snare the Higgs. In July or possibly August, the LHC will start its work, initiating a cautious programme of tests before cranking up to full intensity. In October, CERN (officially called the European Organisation for Nuclear Research) will invite heads of state and government to an official inauguration. Beams of hydrogen protons will whizz around at near-light speed in opposite directions until, bent by powerful superconducting magnets, they will smash together in four bus-sized detector chambers, where they will be annihilated at temperatures hotter than the Sun. Swathed within the chambers are arrays of delicate sensors which will track the wreckage from the smash-up -- the shower of quarks, muons, pions and other exotically-named members of the sub-atomic bestiary. Data from these collisions will then be sifted by a massive computer farm above ground, which will send the most promising events on "The Grid," a miniature World Wide Web.

10,000 Year Old Structure Found

The discovery of this mystery rock formation (an assembly of now seven rocks) were thought to be compound perched erratics (found in northern North America), where 2 or even 3 rocks happened to land on top of each other, leaving behind a natural structure. However, when geologists and archaeologists saw images of the object - a 1,000 pound, elongated and south pointing rock sitting on baseball-sized stones at each end, which in turn, were resting on a massive, several thousand pound slab on top of the ledge, they expressed doubts about its natural origin. Foremost, the straight edges and lack of roundness, as would characterize rocks scoured by glaciers, prompted them to discard the erratic theory. But could the structure be of human origin? If so, how could that be established? Subsequent dives closely examined the structure for any signs of the use of tools, decorative images or other irregularities, to no avail. The thick layer of silt covering the vertical surfaces suggests that certainly within living memory no human has ever touched the structure.

Al-Qaida: Strikes On U.S., Israel

Bin Laden and al-Zawahri have frequently referred to the Palestinian cause in their past messages, but usually in broader terms of liberating Jerusalem and denouncing Israeli violence. Their latest calls for attacks, however, had a more immediate and urgent tone. The string of messages has raised concerns that al-Qaida could be planning new attacks in the West — or is seeking to inspire its sympathizers to carry out violence. In another message last week, bin Laden warned of a "severe" reaction against Europe after Danish papers published a cartoon seen as insulting Islam's Prophet Muhammad. The authenticity of the 4 minute, 44-second audiotape could not be independently confirmed. But the voice resembled that of al-Zawahri on previous audio and videotapes confirmed to be his. It was posted on an Islamic militant Web site where al-Qaida usually releases its statements, and a banner advertising the tape had the logo of al-Qaida's media arm, Al-Sahab. "Muslims, today is your day. Strike the interests of the Jews, the Americans, and all those who participated in the attack on Muslims," al-Zawahri said. "Monitor the targets, collect money, prepare the equipment, plan with precision, and then — while relying on God — assault, seeking martyrdom and paradise."

Taking Christ out of Christianity

That triumphal barnburner of an Easter hymn, Jesus Christ Has Risen Today - Hallelujah, this morning will rock the walls of Toronto's West Hill United Church as it will in most Christian churches across the country. But at West Hill on the faith's holiest day, it will be done with a huge difference. The words "Jesus Christ" will be excised from what the congregation sings and replaced with "Glorious hope." Thus, it will be hope that is declared to be resurrected - an expression of renewal of optimism and the human spirit - but not Jesus, contrary to Christianity's central tenet about the return to life on Easter morning of the crucified divine son of God. Generally speaking, no divine anybody makes an appearance in West Hill's Sunday service liturgy. There is no authoritative Big-Godism, as Rev. Gretta Vosper, West Hill's minister for the past 10 years, puts it. No petitionary prayers ("Dear God, step into the world and do good things about global warming and the poor"). No miracles-performing magic Jesus given birth by a virgin and coming back to life. No references to salvation, Christianity's teaching of the final victory over death through belief in Jesus's death as an atonement for sin and the omnipotent love of God. For that matter, no omnipotent God, or god. Ms. Vosper has written a book, published this week - With or Without God: Why the Way We Live is More Important than What We Believe - in which she argues that the Christian church, in the form in which it exists today, has outlived its viability and either it sheds its no-longer credible myths, doctrines and dogmas, or it's toast.

Cheney: Iran might be next US target

Vice President Dick Cheney is again talking about possible US military action to shut down Iran's nuclear program, the Israeli website DEBKA quoted the aide as saying. The official added Cheney had told US troops in a military base in Iraq that "Iran has got to be very high on that list (of the countries that might be attacked)". The remarks came ahead of the talks Cheney was to hold during his 10-day tour of the Middle East, in Iraq. The report added that Cheney is again talking about possible US military action to shut down Iran's nuclear program, citing military and political sources in the region. Cheney stopped over in Oman recently, after two days in Iraq. He will travel to Saudi Arabia and will be in al-Quds next Saturday. He is also scheduled to visit Ramallah and Turkey. According to the report, Cheney would emphasize the Bush administration's decision to distance itself from the National Intelligence Estimate indicating that "Iran has halted its nuclear arms program in 2003." The report has undermined the position of hawkish politicians who were beating the drums of war with Iran. Cheney will also underlines that "the administration now buys British, German, French and Israeli intelligence estimates that Iran is indeed pressing forward with programs for building nuclear weapons, warheads and ballistic missiles for their delivery." The report added the Americans will need the cooperation of Oman, Saudi Arabia, Israel and Turkey to mount a military attacks on Iran. Israel was notified by the White House that the Iranian issue had been added to Cheney's regional agenda at the last minute, DEBKA quoted informed sources as saying.

Next big quake worse than 1906

The next major earthquake on the Hayward Fault - inevitable anytime now, experts say - will be the Bay Area's own Hurricane Katrina, affecting more than 5 million people, causing losses to homes and businesses of at least $165 billion and total economic losses of more than $1.5 trillion, scientists warn. And that's from ground shaking alone. If major fires break out - think 1906 in San Francisco - the total losses would be far higher, they said. The staggering numbers come from new predictions of losses resulting from a magnitude 7 temblor on the fault, in which ground shaking could spread from the quake's epicenter directly on the fault to communities as far off as Santa Rosa and San Jose - or beyond. Seismologists and quake loss experts joined recently to report the latest assessment of what scientists call "the single-most dangerous fault in the entire Bay Area." The analysis came from the U.S. Geological Survey in Menlo Park, from Risk Management Solutions, a scientific and engineering firm in Newark, and from the Association of Bay Area Governments. Their view of the past and future was sobering. Records and geologic trenching show that five major quakes struck along the Hayward Fault between 1315 and 1868 - an average of one every 140 years. The 140th anniversary of the last big one falls on Oct. 21. Quakes don't follow timetables, of course, but "a repeat of 1868 is becoming increasingly likely with each passing year," said Survey seismologist Thomas Brocher. He is a leader of the "1868 Alliance," a consortium of quake experts and local officials working to persuade Bay Area residents to learn the elements of earthquake preparedness, to retrofit homes and businesses, to hold earthquake drills in every school and to keep emergency supplies on hand. Brocher and Mary Lou Zoback, former chief scientist of the USGS earthquake hazards team and now vice president of Risk Management, noted that the Bay Area's $165 billion forecast for losses to residential and commercial buildings far exceeds the $141 billion damage to New Orleans buildings from Hurricane Katrina.

Flooding a Sign of Things to Come

Major floods striking America’s heartland this week offer a preview of the spring seasonal outlook, according to NOAA’s National Weather Service. Several factors will contribute to above-average flood conditions, including record rainfall in some states and snow packs, which are melting and causing rivers and streams to crest over their banks. This week, more than 250 communities in a dozen states are experiencing flood conditions. The science supporting NOAA’s short-term forecasts allows for a high level of certainty. National Weather Service forecasters highlighted potential for the current major flood event a week in advance and began working with emergency managers to prepare local communities for the impending danger. “We expect rains and melting snow to bring more flooding this spring,” said Vickie Nadolski, deputy director of NOAA’s National Weather Service. “Americans should be on high alert to flood conditions in your communities. Arm yourselves with information about how to stay safe during a flood and do not attempt to drive on flooded roadways – remember to always turn around, don’t drown.” Nadolski called on local emergency management officials to continue preparations for a wet spring and focus on public education to ensure heightened awareness of the potential for dangerous local conditions.

Attorney fears 'Prayer Police' in NY

A liberal special-interest group based in Washington, DC, is asking the town of Greece, New York, to dictate to its citizens what is acceptable speech for starting prayers in the town council's monthly meetings. Americans United for Separation of Church and State is suing the town of Greece, New York, on behalf of residents Susan Galloway, who is Jewish, and Linda Stephens, an atheist. The pair is offended because, for past decade, town council meetings have been preceded by a voluntary prayer -- typically offered by a local clergy member. Barry Lynn, executive director of Americans United, argues that repeatedly offering Christian prayer at the meetings "sends a message to non-Christians that they are second-class citizens. That's not a message public officials should want to send ...." But Joel Oster, the Alliance Defense Fund senior counsel representing the town, disputes claims by Lynn's gruop that the council is promoting Christianity by allowing the prayers. "[The town council does] not edit the contents of these prayers. They do not pre-review the prayers. They are not the prayer police," chides Oster. "They are just simply following a time-honored tradition established by our founding fathers ...." Oster says he is somewhat baffled by the fact that Americans United would ask the government to censor the content of voluntary prayers. "We actually believe that what Americans United are (sic) asking us to do is to violate the Establishment Clause," he continues, "because the town should not be in the business of telling private citizens how they should pray." The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Marsh v. Chambers that beginning deliberative sessions of legislative bodies with prayer is constitutional. Oster says he believes the judge in this case will stick to the Supreme Court ruling.

'Augment' Reality with Contact Lenses

Today, a handful of soldiers with advanced gear can see a few digital maps, through helmet-mounted monocles. Some pilots can get data about their world, on heads-up displays. But one day, troops could see an info-"augmented" reality all around them, with contact lenses that provide "first-person shooter-type video game" environments to those that wear them. At least, that's the idea behind the latest project from DARPA, the Pentagon's blue sky science and technology division. The agency's Information Processing Techniques Office announced recently that it's looking for information on "the creation of micro- and nano-scale display technologies for the purpose of creating displays that could be worn as transparent contact lenses." And not in some far-off future. But in "three to five years."

Google Joins MIT in Search ET Planets

Google has joined MIT scientists who are designing a satellite-based observatory -the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS)- that they say could for the first time provide a sensitive survey of the entire sky to search for earth-like planets outside the solar system that appear to cross in front of bright stars. Google will fund development of the wide-field digital cameras needed for the satellite. "Decades, or even centuries after the TESS survey is completed, the new planetary systems it discovers will continue to be studied because they are both nearby and bright," says George Ricker, leader of the project. Most of the more than 200 extrasolar planets discovered so far have been much larger than Earth, similar in size to the solar system's giant planets (ranging from Jupiter to Neptune), or even larger. But to search for planets where there's a possibility of finding signs of living organisms, astronomers are much more interested in those that are similar to our own world. Most searches so far depend on the gravitational attraction that planets exert on their stars in order to detect them, and therefore are best at finding large planets that orbit close to their stars. TESS, however, would search for stars whose orbits as seen from Earth carry them directly in front of the star, obscuring a tiny amount of starlight. Some ground-based searches have used this method and found about 20 planets so far, but a space-based search could detect much smaller, Earth-sized planets, as well as those with larger orbits.

Bilderberg: The ultimate conspiracy

The Bilderberg group, an elite coterie of Western thinkers and power-brokers, has been accused of fixing the fate of the world behind closed doors. As the organisation marks its 50th anniversary, rumours are more rife than ever. Given its reputation as perhaps the most powerful organisation in the world, the Bilderberg group doesn't go a bundle on its switchboard operations. Telephone inquiries are met with an impersonal female voice - the Dutch equivalent of the BT Callminder woman - reciting back the number and inviting callers to "leave a message after the tone". Anyone who accidentally dialled the number would probably think they had stumbled on just another residential answer machine. On March 27, the Bilderberg group marks its 50th anniversary with the start of its yearly meeting. For four days some of the West's chief political movers, business leaders, bankers, industrialists and strategic thinkers will hunker down in a five-star hotel in northern Italy to talk about global issues. What sets Bilderberg apart from other high-powered get-togethers, such as the annual World Economic Forum (WEF), is its mystique. Not a word of what is said at Bilderberg meetings can be breathed outside. No reporters are invited in and while confidential minutes of meetings are taken, names are not noted. The shadowy aura extends further - the anonymous answerphone message, for example; the fact that conference venues are kept secret. The group, which includes luminaries such as Henry Kissinger and former UK chancellor Kenneth Clarke, does not even have a website. This year Bilderberg has announced a list of attendees, They include BP chief John Browne, US Senator John Edwards, World Bank president James Wolfensohn and Mrs Bill Gates. In the void created by such aloofness, an extraordinary conspiracy theory has grown up around the group that alleges the fate of the world is largely decided by Bilderberg. In Yugoslavia, leading Serbs have blamed Bilderberg for triggering the war which led to the downfall of Slobodan Milosevic. The Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh, the London nail-bomber David Copeland and Osama Bin Laden are all said to have bought into the theory that Bilderberg pulls the strings with which national governments dance. And while hardline right-wingers and libertarians accuse Bilderberg of being a liberal Zionist plot, leftists such as activist Tony Gosling are equally critical. A former journalist, Mr Gosling runs a campaign against the group from his home in Bristol, UK. "My main problem is the secrecy. When so many people with so much power get together in one place I think we are owed an explanation of what is going on.

French Gov. Reports on UFO's

Some people claim that extraterrestrials have already visited Earth in the form of UFOs. Scientists usually dismiss the possibility of UFOs because the distances between stars are so vast. But last year the French government released a report by the French National Centre for Space Studies, which included 1,600 UFO sightings spanning 50 years, including 100,000 pages of eyewitness accounts, films and audiotapes. The French government stated that nine per cent of these sightings could be fully explained, that 33 per cent had likely explanations, but that it was unable to follow up on the rest. The most credible cases of UFOs involve multiple sightings by independent, credible eyewitnesses and evidence from multiple sources, such as eyesight and radar. For example, in 1986 there was a sighting of a UFO by JAL flight 1628 over Alaska, which was investigated by the Federal Aviation Administration. The UFO was seen by the passengers of the JAL flight and was also tracked by ground radar. Similarly, there were mass radar sightings of black triangles over Belgium in 1989-90 that were tracked by Nato radar and jet interceptors. In 1976, there was a sighting over Tehran, that resulted in multiple systems failures in an F-4 jet interceptor.

Untreatable TB arrives in Britain

Doctors have diagnosed what is believed to be the first ever case in Britain of a virtually untreatable strain of tuberculosis. A man, believed to be a Somali in his 30s, is in isolation at a hospital in Scotland and being treated with a range of antibiotics to control the disease. But he has been diagnosed with the XDR-TB strain, which kills half of those infected and is extremely resistant to drugs used to fight more common forms of the infection. Domestic cases of tuberculosis, an airborne disease which is spread though close contact with other people, are increasing but it is thought this is the first time the most deadly type has been found in this country. It is understood the patient, thought to be an asylum seeker, was screened for infectious diseases on his arrival into Britain last year. X-rays revealed TB scarring on his lungs, but the disease was not thought to be active so he was allowed to travel to Scotland. He was admitted to Gartnavel General Hospital in Glasgow with the disease in January and tests have now revealed he is suffering from the XDR-TB strain. Health officials are now trying to contact his close friends and family to prevent any further outbreaks. A spokesman for Gartnavel General Hospital said on March 20: “We can confirm a case of drug-resistant tuberculosis is being treated at the hospital. “We are in touch with all close contacts of the patient, and where appropriate they will be screened. “The strain is not any more infectious than normal TB. The main concern is that it is resistant to antibiotics, which makes it much harder to treat.” The first case of XDR-TB was reported in March 2006, after researchers discovered an emerging global threat of highly resistant TB strains. Six months later 53 “virtually untreatable” XDR-TB cases were found in an area of South Africa with a high prevalence of HIV. Samples were taken for drug resistance tests but all but one of the patients died an average of 25 days later. TB drug resistance has been increasing across the world, including Britain, and the World Health Organisation warns more needs to be done to combat the disease. Professor Peter Davis, secretary of TB Alert in the UK, said: “We are aware that it is quite prevalent in other parts of the world. Because our country is no longer separated from disease by the channel, we have got to be aware of it.”

The Future Of ID

A microchip implant is a radio frequency identification device (RFID) chip that is encased in silicate glass and implanted in an individual's body. The implants can be used for storing personal information including medical history, allergies and contact information. Some hospital in the US have been using implants in their patients so that hospital and emergency workers can have immediate access to a patient's medical history regardless of the location and state of the patient. Microchips implants could also be used in cars or homes equipped with scanners to eliminate the necessity for keys or tags which are easily lost or stolen.

Scientists Envision Familiar Aliens

There has been no shortage of alien depictions in literature, comic books and film. But now scientists are putting some extra thought into the idea of aliens. They've come up with some interesting results. An exhibition, set to open April 10 at the Montreal Science Centre, intends to add scientific rigour to a subject heretofore solely the domain of human imagination. Using the expertise of a number of renowned scientists, the exhibition presents ideas on what aliens might look like, taking into consideration biology, astronomy, and the laws of physics and chemistry. "It's fiction, yes, but it's science-based science fiction," says Louise Julie Bertrand, the head of exhibitions at the Centre. Such an exercise, she adds, will appeal to both kids and adults. "People are often attracted to the bizarre and intriguing and weird." The stars of the exhibition are these alien forms envisioned by the scientists to fit the specific characteristics of two "planets," such as carbon content, the temperature, the type of atmosphere.

Brain-Computer For Manipulating Dreams

A first-generation commercial brain-computer interface (BCI) is being released by Emotiv Systems later this year. What does the future hold for BCI? By 2050, and likely sooner, you will be able to buy a BCI device that records all your dreams in their entirety. This will be done in one of two ways. One method would be to use distributed nanobots less than a micrometer in diameter to spread throughout the brain and monitor the activation patterns of neurons. By this point, cognitive science will have advanced enough to know which neural activation patterns correspond to which sensory experiences. This has already been done with cats (using electrodes, not nanobots), where researchers led by scientist Garrett Stanley were able to extrapolate what a cat was seeing merely by monitoring the neurons of its visual cortex. The next steps will be to increase the resolution, add monitoring of emotions, sounds, and smells, and make it safe for human use. An alternative route, if nanobots are still not ready for commercial deployment by 2050, is to have minimally invasive surgery where tiny holes, no larger than a grain of sand, are drilled in the skull. Electronic nanofibers could be routed through these holes from a port on the outside to neurons throughout the brain. The holes could be protected by a plastic membrane, ensuring that no foreign particles could pass through them into the brain. The access ports on the scalp would be compatible with a BCI headset designed to monitor activity in specific neural groups and selectively stimulate neurons according to a program.

Will TVs Monitor Worship Of The Beast

If an image of the Antichrist of whatever type is someday "given life" and everybody everywhere is expected to worship it at a particular time or interval, how will global authorities know whether or not the masses obey? Some believe this will be accomplished through new wave interactive televisions where the "image" is broadcast at regular intervals and an all-seeing "Cyc" like A.I. computer records people paying homage as ordered. Simple fish-eye lenses on newer televisions have the potential to watch us now, and a report by the Center for Digital Democracy warned in a 2001 report - TV That Watches You: The Prying Eyes of Interactive Television [Read] - that this technology could become compatible with the larger prophetic task of Revelation 13. Among several startling facts, the Digital Democracy summary said, "For the first time ever, companies are able to collect detailed information about what each user of the system is doing.... A key concern for privacy is that each set-top box has a unique identifier built into it that allows for the service provider to identify the household or location of that box....ITV systems are generally based on a sealed 'black box' controlled by the company, giving users little or no ability to make decision to protect their own privacy. The systems are proprietary, making it difficult, if not impossible, even for advanced users to identify what the system is doing." Over time, the report speculated, the ITV would integrate payments systems, which according to Raiders News Service could be compatible with implanted microchip technology, also satisfying the global networking and prophetic necessities of the Antichrist.

Smart clothes that track your health

It is 7 o’clock in the morning. You check yourself in the mirror, adjust your collar, and consider the hectic day ahead. But at least you know that the stress won't damage your health, for this is no ordinary set of clothes you are wearing. Embedded within the fabric are numerous sensors, constantly monitoring your vital signs. If danger signs are detected, the garment is programmed to contact your doctor – and send a text message telling you to take it easy. A cluster of EU research projects (SFIT Group) is supporting this burgeoning field of smart fabrics, interactive textiles and flexible wearable systems. Jean Luprano, a researcher at the Swiss Centre for Electronics and Microtechnology (CSEM), coordinates the BIOTEX project. “One of the most obvious applications for smart fabrics is in the medical field,” he says. “There has been a good deal of progress with physiological measurements, body temperature or electro-cardiograms. But no-one has yet developed biochemical sensing techniques that can take measurements from fluids like sweat and blood. We are developing a suite of sensors that can be integrated into a textile patch. The patch is a sensing and processing unit, adaptable to target different body fluids and biochemical species. At the very least, some basic biochemical analyses could complement the physiological measurements that can already be monitored. In some circumstances, fluidic analysis may be the only way to get information on a patient's health status.”

Thickest, oldest Arctic ice is melting

The thickest, oldest and toughest sea ice around the North Pole is melting, a bad sign for the future of the Arctic ice cap, NASA satellite data showed on March 18. "Thickness is an indicator of long-term health of sea ice, and that's not looking good at the moment," Walt Meier of the National Snow and Ice Data Center told reporters in a telephone briefing. This adds to the litany of disturbing news about Arctic sea ice, which has been retreating over the last three decades, especially last year, when it ebbed to its lowest level. Scientists have said the trend is spurred by human-generated climate change. Melting Arctic ice does not raise sea levels as the melting of glaciers on Greenland or Antarctica could, but it does contribute to global warming when reflective white ice is replaced by dark water that absorbs the sun's heat. Using satellites that measure how much ice covers water in the Arctic and Antarctic, Meier and other climate scientists found a steep drop in the amount of perennial ice -- the hardy, thick ice that is over a year old -- in the north. The oldest Arctic ice that has survived six years or more is the toughest, and even that shrank dramatically, Meier and the other scientists said.

Raytheon's Killer Bee UAV

Boeing, which is protesting its $35 billion loss to Airbus parent EADS on a refueling plane contract, currently has a lock on small, portable Marine and Navy UAVs used for recon missions. The company's ScanEagle first placed into Marine hands four years ago, when the Pentagon decided that they were vital for combat in Iraq and Afghanistan. A year later the Navy purchased more to provide over-the-horizon monitoring of oil platforms and suspicious ships. (A nearly identical ScanEagle model is making its way into U.S. police departments.) To cover these purchases, the Pentagon crafted a non-competitive order—permitted when an item is designated as an “urgent operational requirement"—with Boeing and aerospace design firm Insitu, in July 2004. But now a full-scale military auction is on, and Raytheon has revealed its own battle-ready contender, the Killer Bee, exclusively to PopularMechanics.com nearly a week before its unveiling at the Navy League's 2008 Sea-Air-Space Exposition. We've seen test footage of the blended-wing aircraft before Swift Engineering teamed up with Raytheon, but these detailed new images—5-ft. curved wings and all—show an updated model ready for sale, and hoping to knock ScanEagle out of the Navy and Marine inventory. The Small Tactical Unmanned Aircraft System program is seeking to field a system that can stay aloft for 10 to 24 hours, takeoff from a mobile catapult-style launcher, land without a runway, navigate on its own, and have several UAVs controllable from a single platform. The ScanEagle fleet already fulfills many of these requirements, and steady upgrades and a battle-tested track record should make the trailblazing UAV competitive against new designs. Raytheon, however, says the militarized Killer Bee has more room for payloads and more than 100 miles of range, plus the ability to track objects day or night with video and infrared feeds, and guide precision munitions with an on-board laser designator. The new turn-down wings help to accommodate antennae and improve yaw stability (i.e. smooth turns.) The military's final decision is scheduled for June or July, with first fielding in 2011.

Guilford County school monitors Buses

The district installed the first surveillance cameras more than a decade ago, but an upgrade now gives leaders a look from three angles. "There's really no way to hide from them," Jeff Harris, transportation director for Guilford County Schools said about the new school bus cameras. No matter where you sit on one of 82 Guilford County school buses, anything you do will be caught on camera. "We can leave the camera hard drive on the bus and let it just continuously record the student behavior or any kind of actions on the bus," said Harris. The cameras record any action or conversation. "Each camera at each mounted location has a microphone," he said. Each bus equipped with a surveillance system has three different cameras, picking up three different angles of activity on the school bus. That means it's virtually impossible to do anything and not get filmed. Harris hopes the cameras cut down on problems, stemming from students or drivers. "If there's a problem where a student accuses a driver of something, one of the cameras catches the driver area," he said. Video surveillance caught this 2005 struggle between a student and a bus driver in Charlotte County, Florida. A year later, two sisters attacked a fellow student in New Mexico. Whether it's a fight like those, or something like vandalism, any inappropriate behavior will be harder to hide. "If they're covering up this camera at this angle, then that camera in the front is capturing who is messing with this camera," said Harris, pointing to the two cameras focused on bus seats. The district installed cameras in 82 out of 634 buses. The plan is to add a few more each year, depending on how much it costs to get buses around their routes. "We'll have to see what fuel costs are looking like for the future, and then that will determine what we can use money for," Harris said. Guilford County Schools picked up the $148,000 tab using taxpayer dollars. Middle school principals helped decide which buses to outfit with cameras. They each identified four or five buses at their schools with the most discipline problems. The new cameras can record up to 15 days of activity, compared to the old cameras, which could capture only 45 to 60 minutes at a time. Guilford County Schools isn't the only system using video surveillance on school buses. Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools have a limited number in use. Rockingham County Schools purchased cameras for roughly half of their buses at the beginning of the 2007/2008 school year.

Video Surveillance Market to Explode

Video surveillance is the hot new thing. Tech market think tank ABI Research has just come out with a new study predicting that the global video surveillance market will "expand from revenue of about $13.5 billion in 2006 to a remarkable $46 billion in 2013." In a press release only Philip K. Dick could love, ABI gushes excitedly about all the fun new uses of the vidcams and databases you could be manufacturing, buying, and selling to the surveillance-craving masses. The release reads, in part: "Security" is the word on everyone's lips these days, but there is more to this dramatic market growth than that. Video surveillance finds uses in a variety of vertical markets such as retail, education, banking, transportation and corporate business. And it's not always about security: new facial recognition software can analyze shoppers' behavior within stores, for example, tracking eyeball movements as shoppers view product displays. European video surveillance markets are more mature than those in North America (some say the UK, with its 4.1 million surveillance cameras, is the most monitored society on earth), but massive deployments are also now taking place in North America and, in connection with the upcoming Olympics, in China. But while digital technology offers advantages - higher resolution, easier searching and retrieval, and more efficient storage - many of the traditional security resellers of analog equipment are not yet comfortable with digital, and a massive retraining effort is going to be required. "This is a modern version of the California gold rush," [ABI vice president Scott] Schatt concludes, "except that people are bringing cameras instead of pickaxes and shovels."

Americans Don't Care About Big Brother

In recent weeks, the papers have been full of stories about the warehousing of information on Americans by the National Security Agency, the interception of financial information by the CIA, the stripping of authority from a civilian intelligence oversight board by the White House, and the compilation of suspicious activity reports from banks by the Treasury Department. On March 13, Justice Department Inspector General Glenn Fine released a report documenting continuing misuse of Patriot Act powers by the FBI. And to judge from the reaction in the country, nobody cares. A quick tally of the record of civil liberties erosion in the United States since 9/11 suggests that the majority of Americans are ready to trade diminished privacy, and protection from search and seizure, in exchange for the promise of increased protection of their physical security. Polling consistently supports that conclusion, and Congress has largely behaved accordingly, granting increased leeway to law enforcement and the intelligence community to spy and collect data on Americans. Even when the White House, the FBI or the intelligence agencies have acted outside of laws protecting those rights — such as the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act — the public has by and large shrugged and, through their elected representatives, suggested changing the laws to accommodate activities that may be in breach of them.

Nanotech Making Invisibility a reality

Presto! Now you see it, now you don't. No, it's not magic. Scientists at the University of Maryland have used nanotechnology — the science of matter on the atomic scale — to come up with a novel invisibility shield that can mask appearances in visible light. In essence, the optical cloaking device renders objects invisible by guiding light around the boundaries of the cloak. This development could lead to breakthroughs in computer chip designs. And the military has expressed interest in it as a potential way to elude radar detection. But alas, don't expect to be buying an invisibility cape soon, if ever. The cloak consists of a two-dimensional pattern of concentric rings of transparent plastic on a layer of gold film. The two materials have different refractive properties, which causes the cloak to bend any light that strikes it. When electron waves — known as plasmons — in the metal get disturbed by light, they appear to move in a straight line but actually are guided around the cloak. Nothing gets reflected back to the human eye, so the contents appear invisible. The scientific trick comes from how the material surface is structured, says Christopher Davis, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at Maryland's Clark School of Engineering. "We can show the waves coming into the surface being folded around a two-dimensional region and carried off to the other side," Davis said. "As a result, you can't see the cloaked region of the surface." This cloaking technology already has been used to build a powerful nanotech tool known as a super-lens microscope. It lets researchers see previously undetectable items on the nano-scale, at just 10 micrometers in diameter. Human hairs are 50 to 100 micrometers in diameter. Some day researchers could use such a microscope to capture crisp images of living cells, viruses and proteins. They might even see living DNA molecules, the genetic code for all life. Current electron microscopes must first kill such organisms before viewing them.

Manipulation Of Health: Globalist Elite

Through a process that began in the late 1800's, those who place personal gain and wealth above health and humanity have corrupted the four most important cornerstones that should be our shining benefactors and guarantors of providing mankind with good, nutritious food to drink, air to breath and water to drink: our food supply, our medicines, our industry, and our government. Today, instead of marshalling their efforts to benefit humanity, these cornerstones we depend on have been corrupted to benefit an elite few, turning them instead into just the opposite of what they should be - darkly corrupted purveyors of illness which rob us of our health and our wealth, take years off our life spans, and force us into a lifetime of managed illness and poor nutrition. If allowed to continue, the downward spiral in health may ultimately threaten the ability of mankind to even continue as a species.

UFOs, Bible and alien abduction

Magazine articles, books and even evangelists are engaging in Bible-based speculations about the nature and intention of extra-terrestrial entities that kidnap, paralyze, physically abuse and sometimes sexually molest victims. Many contend the topic is worthy of ongoing theological discussion. Among these is end-times prophecy author Terry James, a Benton native. James says he believes it's no coincidence that there has been a dramatic increase in strange sightings and encounters since the 1947 Roswell incident, at a time when global crisis is reaching unprecedented levels. This is addressed in his latest book, "The Nephilim Imperatives: Dark sentences," in which James explores the connection between UFO's, spiritual warfare and end-times prophecy. He suggests that the Biblical concept of "nephilim" is a possible explanation for alien abduction. The book is published by Anomalos Publishing. James notes that nephilim, as they are called in the Bible, are satanic hybrids born of sexual union between fallen angels (demons) and women. Such inter-dimensional abomination took place, according to the Biblical account, during the time of Noah. "The similarity between the abduction experience and demonic possession is very, very close," James says. "One of the evil objectives of the sexual union of fallen angels and women as we move toward the end-times could be to create a non-human society on Earth which would be impossible to be redeemed by Christ during the tribulation described in the Book of Revelation."

Bat-inspired spy plane under development

A six-inch robotic spy plane modeled after a bat would gather data from sights, sounds and smells in urban combat zones and transmit information back to a soldier in real time. That's the Army's concept, and it has awarded the University of Michigan College of Engineering a five-year, $10-million grant to help make it happen. The grant establishes the U-M Center for Objective Microelectronics and Biomimetic Advanced Technology, called COM-BAT for short. The grant includes an option to renew for an additional five years and $12.5 million. U-M researchers will focus on the microelectronics. They will develop sensors, communication tools and batteries for this micro-aerial vehicle that's been dubbed "the bat." Engineers envision tiny cameras for stereo vision, an array of mini microphones that could home in on sounds from different directions, and small detectors for nuclear radiation and poisonous gases. Low-power miniaturized radar and a very sensitive navigation system would help the bat find its way at night. Energy scavenging from solar, wind, vibration and other sources would recharge the bat's lithium battery. The aircraft would use radio to send signals back to troops. "These are all concepts, and many of them are the next generation of devices we have already developed. We're trying to push the edge of our technologies to achieve functionality that was not possible before," said Kamal Sarabandi, the COM-BAT director and a professor in the U-M Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. COM-BAT also involves the University of California at Berkeley and the University of New Mexico. It is one of four centers the Army launched as a collaborative effort among industry, academia and the Army Research Laboratory to work toward this vision of a small, robotic aircraft that could sense and communicate. Each of the four centers is charged with developing a different subsystem of the bat, a self-directed sensor inspired by the real thing. "Bats have a highly-attuned echolocation sense providing high-resolution navigation and sensing ability even in the dark, just as our sensor must be able to do," Sarabandi said.

Building An Artificial Super Mind

Passing the Turing test--the holy grail of artificial intelligence (AI), whereby a human conversing with a computer can't tell it's not human--may now be possible in a limited way with the world's fastest supercomputer (IBM's Blue Gene), according to AI experts at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. RPI is aiming to pass AI's final exam this fall, by pairing the most powerful university-based supercomputing system in the world with a new multimedia group designing a holodeck, a la Star Trek. "We are building a knowledge base that corresponds to all of the relevant background for our synthetic character--where he went to school, what his family is like, and so on," said Selmer Bringsjord, head of Rensselaer's Cognitive Science Department and leader of the research project. "We want to engineer, from the start, a full-blown intelligent character and converse with him in an interactive environment like the holodeck from Star Trek."

Globalist Requires Your Sacrifice

Senator and Presidential candidate John McCain said that it would be fine with him if the military stayed in Iraq for a hundred years. His prediction maybe be proved in the future to be correct. American men and women are being sacrificed on the alter of globalism. Your liberties are being taken from you by those you have never met. This is one of the biggest scams that have ever been run on the American people. Much like the Roman Empire our leaders are destroying our economy by borrowing more and more money to fight simultaneous wars around the world. Have you ever wondered why there are nations like China who continue to allow us to borrow money much like a degenerate gambler who doesn't know when to quit? We will be the ones to account for the damage that has been done. Every penny of debt that you have will be collected, your social security money has been stolen and the infrastructure that our forefathers fought for has been bought out by multinational corporations and foreign governments.

The Power of Swarm robotics

Forget the conventional notion of human-like androids; researchers are investigating large swarms of up to 10,000 miniature robots which can work together to form a single, artificial life form. Swarm robotics is a field of study based on the supposition that simple, individual robots can interact and collaborate to form a single artificial organism with more advanced group intelligence. As a part of an international collaboration dubbed the "Symbiotic Evolutionary Robot Organisms" project, or "Symbrion" for short, researchers from the University of York are developing an artificial immune system which can protect both the individual robots that form part of a swarm, as well as the larger, collective organism. Researches expect an artificial immune system to be able to detect faults and make recommendations to a high-level control system about corrective action - much like how a person's adaptive immune system works to keep the body healthy. Should any faults be detected, individual robots will be able to share the information with others in the robotic swarm. The swarm as a whole will thus be capable of evolving in the face of new problems, just as a natural immune system is able to cope with unfamiliar pathogens. The multi-robot approach to artificial intelligence is a relatively new one, and has developed from studies of the swarm behaviour of insects such as ants. Eventually, swarm robotics might be applied to real-world tasks such as rescuing earthquake victims, according to University of York research leader Jon Timmis, of the Intelligent Systems Group in the Department of Electronics.

Children As Young As 5 In DNA Database

Primary school children should be eligible for the DNA database if they exhibit behaviour indicating they may become criminals in later life, according to Britain's most senior police forensics expert. Gary Pugh, director of forensic sciences at Scotland Yard and the new DNA spokesman for the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo), said a debate was needed on how far Britain should go in identifying potential offenders, given that some experts believe it is possible to identify future offending traits in children as young as five. 'If we have a primary means of identifying people before they offend, then in the long-term the benefits of targeting younger people are extremely large,' said Pugh. 'You could argue the younger the better. Criminologists say some people will grow out of crime; others won't. We have to find who are possibly going to be the biggest threat to society.' Pugh admitted that the deeply controversial suggestion raised issues of parental consent, potential stigmatisation and the role of teachers in identifying future offenders, but said society needed an open, mature discussion on how best to tackle crime before it took place. There are currently 4.5 million genetic samples on the UK database - the largest in Europe - but police believe more are required to reduce crime further.

Globalization of power by 6,000 leaders

It's not just trade and finance that's being globalized these days, it's sheer power — the power of about 6,000 distinguished people to get big things done across national frontiers, says author David Rothkopf. Trouble is, he complains, this "Superclass" isn't helping two billion powerless people who get along on $2 a day or less. He warns that unless those two billion get a voice, globalization will be in danger. The 6,000 are a scattered lot. Americans know about President George W. Bush and Pope Benedict XVI. But how about Wu Xiaoling, who controls $1.3 trillion worth of foreign reserves from her post as deputy governor in the People's Bank of China? It's a hoard that Communist Chinese leaders have hung over the head of the world's financial markets. Then there's Paulo Coelho, the Brazilian writer who has sold more than 100 million copies of his books. And Rex Tillerson, head of Exxon Mobil. Know about them? Rothkopf takes pains to show in "Superclass - The Global Power Elite and the World They Are Making" that he has long experience with members of, and aspirants to, this "superclass." He includes: -Heads of 120 governments that impact other countries, by war or otherwise. -Commanders of the most powerful militaries. -Key executives of 2,000 big corporations, 100 richest financial institutions and 500 investment firms. -Executives of international bodies, governmental and non-governmental. -Authorities of the biggest religious groups, terrorist leaders, criminal masterminds, the most widely read bloggers, thinkers, scientists, academics and artists who also impress the world. Before serving former president Bill Clinton as deputy undersecretary of Commerce for international trade, Rothkopf founded a company that arranged events for executives of influential organizations. He recalls sitting at a dinner next to Henry Kissinger, who ignored him throughout except for one remark before getting up to speak. "Mr. Rothkopf? . . . Let me give you some advice," said Kissinger. "When you are having an after-dinner speaker, it is best if you eliminate the salad course." The remark foreshadows one of the author's key contentions: The 6,000 have the power to obtain almost anything they want - except more time. That's why they spend so much of it spanning the world in customized private planes. He devotes some space to that privilege. "For private jet travellers," he writes, "globalization is not an abstract concept but a day-to-day reality. . . . For them, the greeting card platitudes of globalization are truths proved by their daily existence: Borders have disappeared and world is truly one global community." The Swiss resort of Davos used to be known for sanatoria, skiing and its attraction to writers including Robert Louis Stevenson, Arthur Conan Doyle and Thomas Mann. Since the 1970s, it has become famous for annual meetings of the World Economic Forum. Members of the superclass gather there from all over the world in January to talk about great problems and generate news about their discussions. Such figures as the pope and Osama bin Laden don't appear, for reasons of their own, though their huge power is just as real. But as a "forum" Davos is known more as a talking shop than as a source of decisive action. Rothkopf says power across national borders is not enough. "If the people at large do not become stakeholders in globalization, then they will become its enemies - and its undoing," the book concludes.

China Hacking U.S. Computers

The Chinese military continues to increase spending on efforts to break into U.S. military computer systems, expand its Navy, and invest in intercontinental nuclear missiles and weapons to destroy satellites, according to the latest U.S report on China's military power. The annual report from the Pentagon to Congress says China's total military spending in 2007 was between $97 billion and $139 billion, but it is hard to tell exactly how much was spent and on what. In comparison, the U.S. military budget request for 2008 is $481.4 billion, not including war requests. Pentagon officials said a chunk of China's spending went to cyberwarfare, because 2007 saw several "intrusions" believed to be from the Peoples Liberation Army. In the incidents, unclassified U.S. military computer systems were broken into and information was taken, according to Pentagon officials. While the information taken was not classified, Pentagon officials said the worry is the Chinese hacking required many of the skills and capabilities that would also be required for a computer network attack. Last summer, a cyber-attack on Department of Defense computer systems took down the e-mail capability of hundreds of staffers for weeks, but the Pentagon still will not comment on who initiated the attack. It is widely believed among the military to have been the Peoples Liberation Army. China is also investing heavily in and fielding improved nuclear intercontinental ballistic missiles and antisatellite missiles, according to the report. The United States expressed its concern last year after China fired a missile at one of its old satellites and destroyed it, sending thousands of dangerous pieces of space debris into orbit.

Case of demon possession documented

An American woman who levitated, demonstrated paranormal psychic powers and spoke foreign languages unknown to her was clearly demon possessed, according to a board-certified psychiatrist and associate professor of clinical psychiatry at New York Medical College. The unnamed woman, with a long history of involvement with Satanic groups, was observed by a team of priests, deacons, several lay assistants, psychiatrists, nuns, some of whom also had medical and psychiatric training, levitating six inches off the ground while objects flew off shelves in the same room, according to Dr. Richard E. Gallagher, who documented the case in the February issue of the New Oxford Review. "Periodically, in our presence, Julia would go into a trance state of a recurring nature," writes Gallagher. "Mentally troubled individuals often 'dissociate,' but Julia's trances were accompanied by an unusual phenomenon: Out of her mouth would come various threats, taunts and scatological language, phrases like 'Leave her alone, you idiot,' 'She's ours,' 'Leave, you imbecile priest,' or just 'Leave.' The tone of this voice differed markedly from Julia's own, and it varied, sometimes sounding guttural and vaguely masculine, at other points high pitched. Most of her comments during these 'trances,' or at the subsequent exorcisms, displayed a marked contempt for anything religious or sacred." The subject would have no recollection of speaking these phrases upon recovering from the trance-like state, according to Gallagher. "Sometimes objects around her would fly off the shelves, the rare phenomenon of psychokinesis known to parapsychologists," reports Gallagher. "Julia was also in possession of knowledge of facts and occurrences beyond any possibility of their natural acquisition. "She commonly reported information about the relatives, household composition, family deaths and illnesses, etc., of members of our team, without ever having observed or been informed about them," he said. "As an example, she knew the personality and precise manner of death (i.e., the exact type of cancer) of a relative of a team member that no one could conceivably have guessed. She once spoke about the strange behavior of some inexplicably frenzied animals beyond her direct observation: Though residing in another city, she commented, 'So those cats really went berserk last night, didn't they?' the morning after two cats in a team member's house uncharacteristically had violently attacked each other at about 2 a.m."

'Worldwide anti-Semitism on the rise'

Worldwide anti-Semitism has increased over the last decade, a US State Department report showed on March 14. The report states that today, more than 60 years after the Holocaust, anti-Semitism is very much an existing phenomenon rather than merely being a historical occurrence. Without detailing exact statistics, the study concludes that US embassies the world over have, in the last 10 years, recorded a rise in attacks against the Jews as well as damage to their property and to their religious institutions. The report notes that in addition to traditional anti-Semitic acts, new types of the phenomenon have surfaced, manifesting themselves in harsh criticism of Israel which has fostered generalizations about Jews. This form of anti-Semitism, said the report, has gained a certain degree of encouragement from UN agencies. The study singles out several leaders and regimes who "fan the flames" of hatred against the Jews, including Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, the Syrian government and Egyptian and Saudi Arabian state media.

Comcast Cameras to Start Watching You?

If you have some tinfoil handy, now might be a good time to fashion a hat. At the Digital Living Room conference today, Gerard Kunkel, Comcast’s senior VP of user experience, told me the cable company is experimenting with different camera technologies built into devices so it can know who’s in your living room. The idea being that if you turn on your cable box, it recognizes you and pulls up shows already in your profile or makes recommendations. If parents are watching TV with their children, for example, parental controls could appear to block certain content from appearing on the screen. Kunkel also said this type of monitoring is the “holy grail” because it could help serve up specifically tailored ads. Kunkel said the system wouldn’t be based on facial recognition, so there wouldn’t be a picture of you on file (we hope). Instead, it would distinguish between different members of your household by recognizing body forms. He stressed that the system is still in the experimental phase, that there hasn’t been consumer testing, and that any rollout “must add value” to the viewing experience beyond serving ads. Perhaps I’ve seen Enemy of the State too many times, or perhaps I’m just naive about the depths to which Comcast currently tracks my every move. I can’t trust Comcast with BitTorrent, so why should I trust them with my must-be-kept-secret, DVR-clogging addiction to Keeping Up with the Kardashians? Kunkel also spoke on camera with me about fixing bad Comcast user experiences, the ongoing BitTorrent battle and VOD. But he mostly towed the corporate line on these issues (the monitoring your living room came up after my camera was put away).

Next Intifada Will Be Nuclear

Turkish daily Sabah met in Gaza the Mental Health Program Director Dr. Iyyad Sarrac, who said that soon nuclear weapons would reach the Gaza strip and a nuclear clash would occur. He told Sabah that there is fear for a third uprising, due to the psychology and desperation of the people and said, “A new intifada is around the corner. This time it will not be with stones and sticks. A chemical or nuclear intifada is not far. If there will be no [peace] agreement, chemical weapons will enter Gaza and will be used against Israel. People here are not normal anymore. They are not feeling like human beings. Everybody is so desperate that even 36% of children want to die to become shahids”.

Prof. Wins Prize For Math Link To God

A Polish priest and mathematician who was a friend of the late Pope John Paul II has won the world’s richest academic prize for work that shows how maths can offer circumstantial evidence of God’s existence. Professor Michael Heller, 72, a pioneering cosmologist and philosopher specialising in mathematics and metaphysics, received the £820,000 prize yesterday in New York. His theories do not so much offer proof of the existence of God as introduce doubt about the material existence of the world around us. He specialises in complex formulae that make it possible to explain everything, even chance, through mathematical calculation. According to the Templeton Foundation, which has awarded its prize for Progress toward Research or Discoveries about Spiritual Realities for 35 years, Professor Heller’s research has “pushed at the metaphysical horizons of science”. The prize money is adjusted every year so that it remains greater than the amount given by the Nobel Foundation, which awards the Nobel prizes.