My Daily Inquirer

The end of the world as we know it cannot be avoided, but it can be predicted, according to a group of astrophysicists who see a 50 percent chance of the final countdown ending in 3.7 billion years.

"Time is unlikely to end in our lifetime, but there is a 50 percent chance that time will end within the next 3.7 billion years," according to the team of US and Japanese scientists, who are challenging a long-standing theory of the universe.

While scientists have long concluded that the universe is expanding, and will do so for an infinite period of time, the researchers say the very rules of physics suggest that "an eternally inflating universe" is far from given.

"The point of this paper is to show that certain methods and assumptions that have been widely used by physicists for years -- most prominently, the use of a time cutoff in order to compute probabilities in an eternally inflating universe -- lead to the conclusion that time will end," Raphael Bousso of the University of California, Berkeley told AFP.

"In other words, the time cutoff, which we may have thought was just a calculational tool, actually behaves like a physical event, whether we like it or not," said Bousso, lead author of the study published on arXiv.org

Current theories of the universe begin with the "Big Bang," which cast our living space into being some 13.7 billion years ago in a massive explosion.

Since then, theorists have assumed the universe will simply continue to expand forever, but have also used a theoretical expiration date to help calculate the laws and rules of physics.

But Bousso and his colleagues says the discipline simply cannot have it both ways.

He cautioned however that the complex thought experiment and calculations proposed by the research could not be used to draw definitive conclusions.

"It's very important to understand that we are not saying that we are certain of the conclusion that time will end (though we cannot rule out that it may be correct)," he wrote.

But he said even if the theory was false, discovering why that was the case would help scientists better understand the universe.

"In science, this kind of reasoning is often valuable: you realize that your reasonable-seeming theory predicts something that sounds crazy, so you have to come to grips with that," he told AFP.

"Either you have to abandon the theory, or you have to understand why the crazy-sounding thing may not actually be so crazy."

For astrophysicist Charles Lineweaver, of Australian National University's Mount Stromlo Observatory, Bousso's conclusions are simply incorrect.

"Bousso's average life of a universe is a set time, only because that's what happens when you introduce a cutoff point to get a reasonable probability," he told ABC Television.

"It's a statistical technique being taken probably too seriously," he added.

But Bousso said he and his team had not invented or introduced anything.

"These cutoffs have been used by many leading physicists for years," he told AFP. "We merely pointed out that it's not such an innocent thing to do.

"The cutoff on time is inevitably physical and hence requires a physical justification. It cannot be considered a mere mathematical trick."

Source: http://ph.news.yahoo.com/afp/20101016/tts-science-us-japan-astrophysics-972e412.html

South Korea will mobilize its largest security force ever in anticipation of widespread protests during the G-20 summit next month in Seoul, the Yonhap news agency said.

Authorities said a total of 50,000 police and riot police will be deployed during the summit on November 11 and 12, according to Yonhap.

Preparing for the country's largest event yet, authorities have banned demonstrations from November 8-12 within 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) of the summit site.

A number of South Korean union and civic groups are gearing up for large protests against the G-20, while other groups are planning unrelated rallies in hopes of drawing international media attention.

A special law went into effect this month, allowing Korean police wider authority to restrict demonstrations and to mobilize the military to do likewise, Yonhap said.

Dozens of union and civic groups have joined to oppose G-20 efforts, such as globalizing financial systems, the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions has announced. Businesses have maximized profits while eroding workers' job security and labor rights, said the trade union, which aims to highlight such issues.

Unrelated protests also are expected by disparate groups that oppose development in a slum area of Seoul; want compensation for war victims; or demand the resignation of the chief of a state agency for the disabled, Yonhap said.

Groups need police permission before they may rally.

The G-20 held its last summit in June in Toronto, Canada.

Hundreds of protesters were arrested as violence and vandalism broke out. Cars were set on fire, windows were broken and graffiti was sprayed.

Some protesters were tear gassed, though no serious injuries were reported.

Collectively, the Group of 20 accounts for about 85 percent of global economic output. The 1997 Asian financial crisis prompted creation of the group, which aims to stabilize the world financial market.

The G-20 includes industrialized nations and developing economies, which focus on economic issues and economic policy coordination. The Group of Eight continues to focus on issues such as global security.

Source: CNN

Posted by Jessie James

China closed 1,355 small coal mines this year, according to Xinhua, the country's state-run press agency.

The effort is part of a larger plan to restructure the mining industry to prevent deadly accidents and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, Xinhua reported, citing the National Energy Administration (NEA).

China has one of the world's deadliest records for miners, with poor safety standards accounting for thousands of deaths each year.

According to the China Mining Association, the goal is to eventually boost the industry. Small coal mines, which use outdated technology, will be replaced with larger coal mines, increasing capacity.

Davitt McAteer, former press secretary for the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration, called the move a response to the consequences of China's "unmitigated economic growth."

"If you emphasize production so much ... and you fail to balance the needs of the individual with the needs of the community, you get all kinds of disasters in terms of health and environment," he said.

China is the largest global producer and consumer of coal, comprising 75 percent of China's total energy consumption.

Approximately 11,000 small coal mines are still in operation.

Source: CNN

Posted by Jessie James

Amnesty International has questioned the fairness of a U.S. trial that convicted five Cuban agents of espionage, conspiracy to commit murder and other related charges.

In a report issued earlier this week, the London-based human rights group described a "prejudicial impact of publicity," saying the anti-Castro community in south Florida may have created partiality during the trial that affected the convictions and subsequent appeals process.

The rights group, while not commenting on the men's guilt or innocence, highlighted questions surrounding their pretrial detention, their access to attorneys and documents that "may have undermined their right to defence," the report said.

Cuba says the five men, known at home as "the five heroes," were sent to Miami to infiltrate violent exile groups at a time when anti-Castro groups were bombing Cuban hotels. They were arrested in 1998. Their incarceration has drawn condemnation in Cuba and abroad.

One of the five is serving a life sentence for allegedly helping Cuba shoot down two unarmed airplanes that were dropping leaflets over the island, killing the Cuban-American pilots.

The five have acknowledged acting as unregistered Cuban agents assigned to report hostile activity from the Cuban exile community or visible signs of U.S. military actions against Cuba, but have denied efforts to breach U.S. national security, according to the Amnesty report.

Last year, the defendants were denied an appeal when the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear their case.

The defense argued that a fair trial was impossible in a city dominated by anti-Castro politics.

In a letter to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, Amnesty asked for closer examination of the circumstances surrounding the group's incarceration.

Images of the men are plastered across billboards throughout Cuba. Their names are also commonly included in speeches given by Cuban officials during major political events.

The report comes at a time when Cuba is in the process of releasing its largest batch of political prisoners in over a decade.

Source: CNN

Posted by Jessie James

Sporting a burnished image after the rescue of 33 trapped miners, Chilean President Sebastian Pinera is arriving in England on Saturday.

He is scheduled to meet with British Prime Minister David Cameron on Monday.

Cameron spoke with Pinera earlier in the week after all 33 miners were successfully hoisted to safety, a spokesman for the prime minister said. He told Pinera that the rescue effort had demonstrated tremendous skill.

Pinera had vowed to be at the San Jose mine in northern Chile until all of the miners were out. True to his word, he greeted each miner with a hug as they stepped out from the rescue capsules to fresh air for the first time.

Pinera called the rescue a "magical day" for Chile, one that fueled patriotic fervor as the entire world cast its eyes on the South American nation.

Source: CNN

Posted by Jessie James

The latest airport security technology being developed at Los Alamos National Laboratory could open the door for airline passengers to bring their soft drinks and full-size shampoo bottles on board again.

Homeland security officials put the latest generation of the bottled liquid scanner to the test Wednesday during a demonstration at Albuquerque's international airport. Everything from bottled water and champagne to shampoo and pink liquid laxatives were scanned to make sure explosives weren't hiding inside.

The device, about the size of a small refrigerator, uses magnetic resonance to read the liquids' molecular makeup, even when the substances are in metal containers. Within 15 seconds, a light on top of the simple-looking metal box flashes red or green, depending on whether there's danger.

The device is so sensitive it can tell the difference between red and white wine, and between different types of soda.

"What we're doing is really looking for the real dangers, like liquid homemade explosives," said Stephen Surko, program manager of the Homeland Security Advanced Research Projects Agency. "We're just real excited at the progress we're making."
The technology is still a few years from being deployed in the nation's airports, where fears of liquid explosives have stopped passengers from bringing more than small amounts of lotions and other toiletries in their carry-on bags. Surko said the lab will have to partner with a manufacturer, and the machines will have to go through testing and certification.
With the bottled liquid scanner, Surko said Transportation Security Administration officers would be able to quickly check the liquids that are allowed in carry-on luggage. If the technology is successfully implemented, it may eliminate the need for passengers to stuff all their toiletry bottles — each no larger than 3.4 ounces — into a single quart-sized plastic bag.

Travelers had gotten used to being scanned, swabbed and patted down since the 9/11 attacks, but it was an alleged plot to blow up 10 trans-Atlantic airliners with liquid bombs in 2006 that prompted the U.S. to clamp down on liquids.
The restrictions have inconvenienced passengers and resulted in longer lines, but officials at the demonstration acknowledged they have yet to achieve what they call a full measure of security.

Several passengers flying out of Albuquerque got a sneak peak of the new technology as they were passing through a security checkpoint. Most said they would feel better if the liquids allowed on a plane could be scanned, but they also hoped that the technology would some day allow them to take their drinks along.
Barbara Riegelsberger of Cleveland, who travels several times a year, said she has become accustomed to the hassles of packing her shampoo and leaving behind her water bottle.

"I'm willing to do what I need to do to be safe," she said.

Tomas Hora, a balloon pilot from Germany who was in Albuquerque for an international balloon event, doubted whether the new technology would make things safer.
"It won't make a difference," said Hora, who was traveling with his wife and young child. "I think if somebody wants to do harm to an airplane, he can do harm no matter the security you do here at the beginning."

Federal officials are hoping otherwise. They have already spent more than $14 million developing the liquid scanners, and the Obama administration has committed tens of millions of dollars to deploy more state-of-the-art equipment to U.S. airports, such as body-imaging scanners and chemical analysis machines that check for explosives in medically necessary liquids like prescription drugs.

Over the last two years, researchers have been able to make the bottled liquid scanner about 90 percent smaller and six times faster. The goal is to make it even smaller so it can fit beside other equipment at airport checkpoints.

Los Alamos scientist Michelle Espy said she knows what it's like to be in a checkpoint and have her young daughter's bottle taken away.

"This would be a very great solution, a quick solution," she said. "Obviously, the end goal is to be able to seamlessly, without slowing anything down, just let people take their liquids on."

Source: Yahoo

Having spent 69 days trapped inside the San Jose mine in Chile before being rescued, Mario Sepulveda says, he is a changed man.

"I buried 40 years of my life down there, and I'm going to live a lot longer to be a new person," he said in a video conference hours after surfacing from half a mile underground.

Sepulveda, the second miner extracted from the mine, has advice for those who take undue risks in their lives.

"I think I have learned a lot of wonderful lessons about taking the good path in life," he said. "For those of you able to call your wives or your husbands, do so."

During the time he was trapped inside the mine, Sepulveda said, he saw both good and evil.

"I was with God, and I was with the devil. They fought, and God won," he said. Sepulveda said he grabbed God's hand and never doubted that he would be rescued.
Video: Miner surfaces, hands out rocks
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Sepulveda praised the efforts of the rescue crews but argued for reforms in the mining industry.

"I think this country has to understand once and for all that we can make change. In the area of labor, we have make many changes," he said. "I think the owner has to give the tools so that the middle managers can bring changes in terms of labor. The middle managers cannot carry on like they have."

The rescued miner had high praise for the doctors and psychologists who aided the miners via videoconference.

"They gave us our lives back. It's incredible that with 700 meters between us, and not seeing us face-to-face, they revived us," he said.

Read about how the miners' lives will be changed

With the world watching and the media attention at the mine intense, Sepulveda said he hoped to maintain a low-key profile now that they are being rescued.

"The only thing I ask personally is that you please not treat us like celebrities or journalists. I want to continue being treated like Mario Antonio Sepulveda Espinace, the worker, the miner. I love that, and I think that, in some shape, way or form, I want to continue working," he said.

Sepulveda was flanked by family members as he spoke.

"I'm very happy for all the beautiful things that were done for us," he said. "I'm very excited to be up here again."

Some gave a thumbs-up, waved Chilean flags, and hugged their loved ones. One dropped to his knees and prayed, while another asked about his dog. One led the crowd in a cheer for Chile. And then they were all wheeled away on stretchers.

This is how the Chilean miners -- emerging from the dark San Jose mine after more than two months -- savored their first moments above ground.

The first miner to reach the surface, Florencio Avalos, beamed and hugged everyone around him as he walked on the Earth's surface for the first time in 69 days. He took a few moments to embrace his weeping family before he was taken away for a medical evaluation amid cheers.

As the second miner, Mario Sepulveda, exited the rescue hole, he reached into a large yellow bag and handed out what appeared to be rocks to officials and rescue workers. Sepulveda cracked jokes in his first moments above ground and led the crowd in a cheer for Chile. As the 40-year-old was hauled away on a stretcher for his medical evaluation, he asked his wife, "How's the dog?"

Juan Illanes, an electrical mechanic retired from the Chilean military, beamed from behind his dark sunglasses when he became the third miner to be rescued. Like the other men, Illanes wore dark goggles to protect his eyes against from the new light, after having been in the gloom for about two months. His letters to his wife while he was trapped displayed humor and optimism.

A collection of small, hand-held Bolivian flags amid a sea of Chilean flags greeted Carlos Mamani, the lone Bolivian miner and the fourth to reach the earth's surface. Mamani knelt on the ground and pointed to an image resembling the Chilean flag on his T-shirt, acknowledging the cheering crowd. The rookie miner and Chilean President Sebastian Pinera embraced before Mamani was taken away for his medical exams.

Pinera remained by the side of family members all day, greeting the miners after their exchanges with their families.

The youngest miner, 18-year-old Jimmy Sanchez, was the fifth miner extracted. Sanchez, who worked as an environmental assistant, does not like confined spaces and has said he misses his mother's cooking. He is the father of an infant girl.

Osman Araya fell into the arms of his wife and kissed her repeatedly as he emerged from the mine. The sixth miner to be rescued thrust his fists into the air with thumbs up as he was wheeled away on a stretcher.

Seconds after stepping out of the rescue capsule, the seventh miner, Jose Ojeda, unfurled a large Chilean flag in front of the crowd. The widower suffers from diabetes and served as secretary for the trapped miners.

Claudio Yanez stepped out of the rescue capsule and extended a thumbs-up to the crowd. Once freed from his harnesses, the eighth rescued miner rushed toward his fiancee, knocking off her hard hat.

Mario Gomez, the oldest of the trapped miners at age 63 and a spiritual leader of the group, worked himself out of the rescue capsule, spread out his arms and gave two thumbs up. Then he displayed the Chilean flag and hugged and kissed his wife.

Clasping the national flag, the miner -- who suffers from a mine-related lung disease and has only two fingers on one hand due to a previous mining accident -- then gently dropped to his knees and spoke silently to God.

Alex Vega, a 31-year-old heavy machine mechanic, arrived at the surface flashing an enthusiastic thumbs-up, and then hugged and kissed his girlfriend.

The 11th miner to emerge was 56-year-old Jorge Galleguillos. He had been on medication for hypertension, but he looked strong and relieved as he got his first glimpse of freedom. He waved, gave a thumbs-up and embraced his brother, and was greeted as well by two presidents, Chile's Sebastian Pinera and Bolivia's Evo Morales.

The 12th miner to be rescued, Edison Pena, was no longer "All Shook Up," as the Elvis Presley song goes. An Elvis fanatic who led the trapped miners in sing-alongs, Pena, 34, looked fit and exuberant. He waved and shook hands and hugged colleagues, loved ones and dignitaries.

Carlos Barrios, a 27-year-old foreman at the mine, emerged to stirring applause. The 13th miner to be rescued looked in good health as he embraced a loved one and was greeted by pats, hugs and handshakes of others. He has a 5-year-old son and is a fanatic soccer fan and regular player.

The 14th miner to be rescued was Victor Zamora, 33. He and his wife are expecting a baby in six months and plan to name her Paz Victoria. And after he came up to the surface, he passionately hugged his wife. After workers placed him a stretcher, Chile's president chatted with him. Zamora is a poet and a fan of reggae legend Bob Marley.

Victor Segovia, the 15th extracted miner, looked a bit weary but relieved just the same as he was greeted by well-wishers and Chile's president. He kept a journal during his ordeal in the hole, and his updates helped keep rescuers up to date on the miners.

Daniel Herrera, 27, edged out of the rescue capsule and hugged his elated mother, who had said she wouldn't leave the site until she could depart with him. Herrera, a truck driver who took on the duties of a paramedic assistant during the ordeal, looked very moved as people greeted him, the 16th miner to be freed.

Omar Reygadas, a 56-year-old foreman, was greeted by hugs and solemnly knelt down. He also unfurled a Chilean soccer team flag while he was on a stretcher.

Esteban Rojas, 44, left the rescue capsule and prayed. He got down on his knees, crossed himself, put his hands together in the pose of prayer, crossed himself again, and then put his hands over his head.

He emotionally embraced his wife of 25 years. During his time in the mine, he asked his wife to renew their marriage vows, this time in a traditional church ceremony.

Pablo Rojas, 45, had worked at the mine for six months. He was one of the trapped miners who handled the supplies coming into the mine. He sank to his knees as he stepped into the sunlight.

The 20th miner to emerge, 48-year-old Dario Segovia, started going down in the mines when he was 8 years old. He waved a Chilean flag and dropped to his knees when he came out of the capsule.

Yonni Barrios, 50, was the 21st miner to step out of the capsule. He embraced his wife as she sobbed on his shoulder.

Samuel Avalos, 43, monitored the gas levels in the mine. He flashed a V sign and a wave as he emerged from the capsule and kissed his wife.

Carlos Bugeuno embraced his mother at the top of his long trip to the surface. Bugueno, 27, was another supply handler during the 69 days underground.

Jose Henriquez, 54, sported a broad smile when rescuers opened the capsule after his ride to the surface. He waved and offered a double-thumbs-up to the rescuers around him and then lifted his wife off the ground in a long embrace.

Renan Avalos' brother, Florencio, was the first miner to be pulled to the surface. Renan, the 25th, smiled broadly, hugging rescuers and waving as family members hugged one another. And then he joined the family without even removing his miner's helmet as the others had. He is 29.

Claudio Acuna's wife, mother and 2-year-old daughter, were on hand to greet him when he emerged from the shaft. Acuna, the youngest of eight brothers, left his helmet on, too, as he rushed to greet them. He unfurled a small Chilean flag as he was carried away on the stretcher, draped in a larger flag. His daughter cried as he was carried away.

Franklin Lobos, 53, and Jorge Galleguillos, the 11th miner rescued, credit their stop to look at a small, white butterfly with saving their lives. They were in a truck deep in the mine when they spotted the butterfly, and when they slowed to look closer, the mine began collapsing in front of them. While his family waved balloons and flags and cheered loudly, Lobos stepped out of the capsule and greeted his wife, who handed him a soccer ball. Lobos, a former player on the Chilean national team, kicked the ball around before being greeted by Pinera.]

Richard Villarroel, 27, didn't tell his mother he worked in a mine, but she was there to meet him as he came out, along with his younger sister who carried a Chilean flag for her big brother. Villarroel waved the flag as his mother ran to wrap her arms around him.

With the sun setting on another day, the 29th miner to return to the surface was Juan Carlos Aguilar, 49, one of three shift supervisors at the San Jose mine. He smiled broadly as the capsule was opened, gave a long hug to his wife and spoke briefly with the president before being carted away wearing a T-shirt bearing a white star and the colors of the Chilean flag.

Raul Bustos was the 30th miner to ride the Phoenix capsule to the surface. The day of the collapse was his first day inside the mine, where he had worked as a foreman and hydraulics engineer for two months -- after he, his wife and two small children escaped from the aftermath of an earthquake in Talcahuano.

The scene was lit by only the bright work lights media lights when Bustos, 40, reached the surface and reunited with his beaming wife. "You have no idea how happy I am," he said during the round of embraces and handshakes from those who waited for his ascent.

Acoustics expert Pedro Cortez, 25, was next up the long shaft. Cortez, who joined the mine with his friend Carlos Bugueno -- the 23rd miner rescued -- heard the voice of one of his relatives shouting down to him before the capsule broke the surface. "Pedro!" the man bellowed. "We're waiting for you!" He picked up his young daughter and held her close as other relatives released balloons bearing the Chilean colors into the night sky.

Acoustics expert Ariel Ticona, 29, said to be shy by his family, arrived at the top chewing gum and quietly embraced his wife and smiled broadly. He held up a disconnected telephone to laughter and applause -- a phone, he said, that made the first connection between the trapped miners and the surface and was made in Chile. Ticona's wife did not bring their month-old baby girl Esperanza ("Hope") into the chilly desert night air, but Ticona witnessed the birth of his third child -- the first he was able to see -- via a video link lowered into the mine.

And shortly before 10 p.m. (9 p.m. ET), shift foreman Luis Urzua -- who refused to come to the surface ahead of even a single one of his men -- stepped out of the Phoenix capsule, the 33rd and last of the trapped miners rescued from their long stay in the darkness. Urzua's was the first voice those on the surface heard through Ticona's telephone -- "We are well and hoping that you will rescue us," he said. And they did.

At the surface, the rescuers chanted and sang awaiting Urzua's arrival. They hugged. President Pinera wiped a tear from his eye. A loud cheer and more singing and chanting erupted when the siren rang, signifying the capsule was 200 meters away. At about 55 meters, they shouted down to Urzua -- "How are you?" "Good," was his reply. And when the capsule came through into the lights, cheering, whistling, the siren and tears greeted Urzua.

The siren continued, vehicle horns blared.

"I have the privilege to inform that all the miners have been rescued, including the leader of this group, and everybody is in perfect physical condition," one of the rescuers said. Urzua waved, hugged his son and then the president.

"You have been a very good boss and leader of this group," Pinera said.

"As I said before, I hope this will never happen again," Urzua said. "Thank you very much to all the rescuers and everybody here. I am proud of being a Chilean. I want to thank everybody."

Pinera and Urzua led everyone in the Chilean national anthem, the "Himno Nacional de Chile."