The End of the World. But it got better.

Hi again,
I'm back with something conspiracy theorists are going to love. A public safety message.

In my last post , I said that although the newly developed CERN particle ring had started up, it hadn't caused the end of the world through a black-hole.

I was wrong.

You may not have realised, but linked* to this event was the following news article, Kiwi lollies lose their sparkle

Yes that's right, giant confectionary maker Cadbury-Pascall pulled the iconic New Zealand lollies** from shelves, meaning the sudden disappearance of Sparkles, Tangy Fruits and Snifters. Will Jaffas be the next casualty? who can tell.

And this occured at the same time the particle accelerator started up. Coincidence? I think not!***

Luckily for New Zealand and the rest of the world this phenomenon was short lived; as the accelerator in question developed a world-confectionary saving fault and was shut down.

Add some heated environmental protesting via consumer outrage, and it looks as though Cadbury may restore the missing lollies to shelves - the damage to the earth will be minimal.
But it was a close thing.

In case this should happen again, stock up on your favourite lollies now to be prepared.
There's no telling when such a disaster may occur again, and next time we may not be as lucky.


* May not be statistically valid
** Lolly; aka confectionary, candy, sweets
*** Ok yes, maybe coincidence

The end of the world? Or at least France

Day 1.
Today at CERN, the world's largest particle accelerator started up, Scientists start up particle-smasher

It didn't cause the end of the world (or if it did no-one noticed), and is instead trying to find the existence of new forms of matter; using the tried and try technique of smashing things together at high speeds.
Much like a demolition derby, but with smaller cars and a bigger arena.

In this article Kiwi with his finger on the Big Bang Button our famous Kiwi is quoted as saying,
"We have been shown to meet all safety standards. In terms of the black-hole scenario, LHC is safe."

The black-hole scenario?!

I don't know about you but that statement makes me more worried than some assumed apocalypse from an oversized science lab.

I mean, really what is the scenario for a black hole?

Scenario 8.1 Black-Holes
Description: [EVENT: APOCALYPSE] The event the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) causes the spontaneous creation of a black-hole, or holes. Shortly after (ie. immediately) the intensive gravitational field sucks all matter into said black-hole, causing the end of the world. And the solar system.
Risk: Low, but honestly we don't know since no-one has ever made a black hole before.
Person Responsible: John. Yeah, definitely John.
Mitigation: Unknown, but options may be -
i. Pray to God (possible conflict of interest)
ii. Stop, Drop and Roll
iii. Fire extinguisher
iv. Time Machine (to be designed)
v. Evacuate to Alpha Centarii (undergoing budgetary constraints)
vi. Chuck Norris
Note: At all times act positive for the media; and Chuck Norris.

Valuable scientific work, yes. Crazy? Also yes.
It leads me to the following statement:
Science is about hypotheses and testing. If you want absolutes, look elsewhere.

"Where were you when I created the earth?
Tell me, since you know so much!
Who decided on its size? Certainly you'll know that!
Who came up with the blueprints and measurements?
How was its foundation poured,
and who set the cornerstone,
While the morning stars sang in chorus
and all the angels shouted praise?"
Job 38:4-7

"And evening passed and morning came, marking the first day."
Genesis Ch1:4

Wondering out loud

And now from the political news desk, Me.
This may be a one-off post, as politics isn't usually something I dabble in; and I warn you there is controversy ahead (yes really) which is why it may be the first and last post. However now for the news...

Sarah Palin, the new deputy for John McCain is almost a Republican dream-boat:

• Miss congeniality at a beauty pageant
• Married to pro sports person
• One child in the army
• One child disabled
• Member of the NRA
• Anti-abortion
• Pro death penalty

If it wasn't for daughter Bristol things would be hunky-dory (this should test her anti-abortion stance at least). http://www.stuff.co.nz/4677901a12.html
(was that controversial?)

But it isn't abortion or lack thereof that I'm questioning, that issue is infinitely large and emotive and I'm not qualified to comment.
(safe here)

My question is purely based on logic (Vulcan's beware):
How can you support the death penalty, yet not support abortion?
(hey, that sounded controversial)

Abortion - noun - "any of various surgical methods for terminating a pregnancy."
Death penalty - noun - "a sentence of punishment by execution."

From the above definitions it could be implied that abortion attempts to improve the life of the mother by terminating a pregnancy; whereas the death penalty attempts to improve society by terminating an individual. Which may sound similar; but they aren't; or are they; no definitely aren't-are. Which one was correct again?
(argh controversy again)

I have another question:
What about grace* and mercy?
(and more controversy, end it now!)

Just throwing ideas out there.


* Grace is a Christian concept of favour and forgiveness for the undeserving. And you thought abortion was a tricky topic...

Holding on to the travel bug

So I have been back in New Zealand for a week, and my previous post was a 10 days ago (which is almost infinity in email-time). Trouble was I didn't know how to convert a travel blog into something sophisticated like discussing the thematic relationships of Wall-E.

So I haven't.*

When you come back from holiday it turns out there is one, and only one, question that people ask you - "What was your favourite place?"

This is a ridiculous question, as every day I saw something I hadn't seen before (or thousands of things I hadn't seen before) having to rate them on some sort of scale is impossible.
Three things define the experience:
1. What you see
2. What you do
3. Who you are with

If you don't believe me, try going to Disneyland by yourself, go to the Grand Canyon with a paper bag on your head, or eat a romantic dinner for one.

For anything to be enjoyable (and this isn't just for travel) you will be able to have fun with one of the above; can go a long long way with two; and if you get all three then it's probably one of the best days of your life.

So I invite you to take today and use it to appreciate something new, and share it with someone special.

(The Grand Canyon is pretty amazing too)

* The next post I promise.

I went to America and all I got was this stupid blog

As I prepare to leave London for New Zealand, I thought I'd give five quick highlights from USA.

1. Alcatraz (San Francisco)
Touring around The Rock is quite an experience, especially finding out the flaws in the movie 'The Rock'.

2. Yosemite National Park
Having been to Yosemite twice now (winter and summer) I can say it is a beautiful place in either season. Go in summer to enjoy some excellent views and challenging walks

3. Grand Canyon
One of the national wonders of the world and once you arrive it is easy to see why. A simply breathtaking place.

4. Niagara Falls
Another natural wonder, and where the Grand Canyon stuns the eyes with epic scale, the Falls also include the senses of touch and hearing, as the huge flow of water thunders over the cliffs.

5. Lincoln Memorial (Washington DC)
Immortalised in a number of movies, including Forrest Gump; this memorial to President Lincoln is sobering and classic. Turn around for a excellent view up the mall to the Capitol.

PS: Remember that in America the most useful currency is:
One dollar bill - Used in tipping, which means all the time; don't substitute for the one dollar coin.
Quarter dollar - Used in every coin operated machine everywhere

Eye on London

Being back in London again, some things stand out as unusual:

1. Summer
Everything you hear about an English summer is true. Expect to be rained on, blown away, or electrocuted in a thunder storm. You wonder why sun screen is even sold here.

2. Left and Right
English drive on the left (the correct side) and hence overtake on the right, but on the underground you stand on the right and overtake on the left. Nonsensical.

3. Weights and Measures
The English have a 'relaxed' attitude to metric measure. Expect to see litres used on liquid volume; but miles used in distance - unless they use kilometres.
As Daniel also mentioned, a sign saying 5m could mean 5 miles or 5 minutes.

4. Princess Diana Memorial Fountain
With all respect to the late princess, calling her memorial a 'fountain' is a stretch of the definition at the best of times. More apt would be 'aqueduct', 'drain', or more poetically a 'cascade'.

5. Madame Tussards
Everyone knows Madame Tussards, the famous celebrity wax museum (and worth the price of entry). However it isn't quite that easy.
a. The models are made of fibreglass, not wax. Only the original scuplt is wax, and then moulded with fibreglass to make it last longer.
b. Part of the tour includes a dungeon (what's with the British and their dungeons) where live actors frighten the audience. Surely this is a blasphemy for a wax museum.

Tomorrow I leave for New Zealand and back to whatever you call a normal life. Time to sort out my photos

For Your Culinary 'Pleasure' part 2

I have made it back from the front lines, and with only a few hours to go before this campaign ends it seems that we will win the day.

I created part 1 of this list of American 'treats' earlier http://russellpbrowning.blogspot.com/2008/08/for-your-culinary-pleasure-snack-food.html

Here is part 2:

11. Angel Food Cake
I ended the previous post with this lead-in, and it didn't disappoint. A cross between sponge cake and meringue, a sweet tooth delight.

12. Taco Bell
From the mexican fast food chain. They sell cheap tacos ($0.89ea), which, while hardly brimming with options (you get beef, lettuce and cheese), are surprisingly tasty.

13. In and Out Burger
Another fast food chain, in the California region only. If you read the menu, you will see only 5 things*:
-Burger (beef)
-Slightly larger burger (same ingredients as above)
-Slightly even larger burger (as above)
-Fries
-Soft drink
Given the lack of choice, you would think they would be pretty special. Think again. Think a cross between a fat fried pattie from Burger King and the swept up remains of a Wendy's bun with lettuce; throw in the worst fries ever. Voila.

14. A slice of Cheese pizza
Taking pizza to a whole new level of minimalism (except the portion), the cheese pizza has only one topping - cheese. This may not scream 'tasty'; but much like Taco Bell, it's cheap and what you pay for isn't too bad. I'd add pepperoni for a bit more flavour though.

15. Philly Cheese Steak
Steak coneseuirs will be disapointed, as this is basically a steak and cheese hot roll (or sub), don't expect them to ask if you want it medium-rare either. It's tasty enough, but the cheese is runny and horribly processed (what I wouldn't do for a slice of Edam). Which brings me to...

16. Cheese Whizz
"Cheese What?" might be a better name, due to it's complete indifference to anything resembling actual cheese. First of all it sprays from a can (like dairy whip cream), and second it is orange. If you like your cheese not at all then this is for you.

17. NYC Hotdog
From a roadside stand even. $3 gets you one with everything (cue zen joke), which is reasonably tasty. The portion size is on the small size though so I felt a bit cheated.

18. Soft Pretzel
Also available in roadside stand versions. $3 gets you a large pretzel and enough salt to fill the pacific ocean. Avoid unless you adore salt with everything, or are looking to have a heart attack.

19. Bagels
This high-carb donut wannabe, available with every variety of cream cheese filling imaginable. A fresh one is very nice, and very filling. However this almost doesn't qualify Bagels are readily available in New Zealand.

20. Crispy Creme
If bagels are not for you then donuts have all the sugar you need. The Crispy Creme glazed donut (without a hole) is very nice as a dessert; unfortunately American's haven't figured out the right time to eat them, so the are available any time from breakfast. The glaze will melt in the sun, so eat it quickly.

I hope you can now go out yourselves, knowledgeable of the dangers ahead.

End Transmission

* There is actually a secret menu for those in the know. But it doesn't have 'added flavour' on it.