rare event dept

COMMENT

RARE EVENT 1: PALESTINE WINS, ISRAEL AND US LOSE

Yesterday Palestine was adopted into UNESCO (United Nations Educational,Scientific and Cultural Organisation)despite the determined opposition of Israel and its sponsor the US; the latter of which was so piqued that it has threatened to withdraw its funding to said organisation. They would have used their veto if they could, but admission to the ranks of UNESCO is by a simple majority of voting members, of which they secured a comfortable margin. True, this is a small victory, but victory it is, and such things are a rara avis for that would-be nation. But by such small victories the World changes...

RARE EVENT 2: OBJECT TRAVELS FASTER THAN LIGHT PROVING EINSTEIN WAS WRONG

Researchers at CERN recently announced that their instruments had shown that neutrinos may have been recorded moving faster than the speed of light. According to Einstein this is supposed to impossible, so what the hell is going on? What indeed. Leaving aside for the moment the fact that their measuring instruments might have been wrong, does it really mean Einstein's theories have to be discarded? I think nottle.

Neutrinos are mass-less particles (whatever that inherent paradox means)and as it is mass that limits everything to the velocity of light as a maximum, this rule does NOT apply to the neutrino. Funny thing is, neutrinos do not have mass, but they DO have momentum, and here's another paradox: momentum is the product of mass x velocity, so how come? I have heard this troubling concept described as "disembodied spin" - now there's a head-fuck for you. The fact is, particle physics is full of these head-fucks: for example, I heard the astronomer Brian Cox saying the other day that electrons are capable of being at every point in the Universe simultaneously- say what? It is probably best not to argue with the large-brained toothy one, but where does it leave us? I think I need another drink...