Maybe the cave people have it right.

So a few weeks ago I read in the Herald about this "Atom-smashing time machine" that has now been built along the Swiss-French border. In case you haven't heard about this little beauty, here are the details:

A massive magnet that is part of a "Large Hadron Collider, which is a 27 kilometre long atom smasher which cost 8.8 Billion dollars to build. The purpose of this machine is to simulate the big bang that created our universe and the milli seconds after the big bang. This magnet, when turned on in July, will simulate the birth of the universe by accelerating particles to 99.9999 per cent the speed of light. The particles will race around the 27 kilometre ring 11,245 times per second before being smashed into each other causing them to break apart creating catastrophic amounts of energy and debris. This machine is buried 100 metres beneath the Alpine Foothills in Europe, and it takes a two minute elevator ride to get there.

Now today there is another article in the Herald about it. My first question weeks ago when I read this, and again today, was, "Why?" Why in God's green earth would ANYONE need to build this kind of a contraption? When I first read about it, the article was more about "here's this thing, isn't it fascinating." and after my first thought of, "Why" my second immediate more pressing thought was, "Oh my God! Are they totally and completely INSANE????!!!! Who knows WHAT this thing will actually do when activated!!! And WHY is no one talking about it???!!" Now, the article today is of a much more pressing nature, more along the lines of what I was thinking. The headline is "A new age or the end of the world?" Apparently a group of environmentalists are trying to put a stop to the turning on of this huge magnet. They are claiming that it could destroy the earth. Um, hello? Of COURSE it could!! Nobody really knows what will actually happen when they turn this thing on. Nobody. Maybe nothing will happen. Or maybe, as some people are saying, there will be a massive black hole created when it sparks up. And WHY is NOBODY TALKING ABOUT THIS???

Here is a quote from Wikepedia about the accelarator and the possibility of a black hole forming:

Micro Black Holes
Although the Standard Model of particle physics predicts that LHC energies are far too low to create black holes, some extensions of the Standard Model posit the existence of extra spatial dimensions, in which it would be possible to create micro black holes at the LHC[24][25][26] at a rate on the order of one per second. According to the standard calculations these are harmless because they would quickly decay by Hawking radiation. The concern from opposing civil society movements[27] is that, among other disputed factors, Hawking radiation (which is still debated[28]) is not yet an experimentally-tested or naturally observed phenomenon. Thus, the above mentioned opponents to LHC consider that micro black holes produced in a terrestrial laboratory might not decay as rapidly as calculated, or might even not be prone to decay and, if unable to rapidly evaporate, they could start interacting, grow larger and potentially be disastrous to Earth itself.[2

Did you read the last line? This is in Wikepedia people!!! We need to be talking about this! Probably nothing will happen. But my question to you is this: There are literally billions and billions of dollars spent in the name of science and science alone. Something like this is an experiment for its own sake. It reminds me of other science experiments that are happening now with creating human-animal embryos. Um, why? They are successfully creating human/bovine (that is cow) embryos that are surviving for up to 3 weeks, and if they survive any longer are to be destroyed. What is the purpose of this disgusting practice? They claim it is to learn how to uncover more cures for disease, or understand how disease works. Yup. That's right, folks, in case you ever contract the little known "Cow Cancer" you will now be in safe hands with the "Cow Cancer" doctors whom after years of careful study will know what to do with your "Cow Tumor". Asinine. How much money could go to actually CURING cancer once and for all. Instead of pumping it into giant toys for scientist like the collider. I can picture these world renowned scientist in their lab coats now,

Scientist: Uh, yes, we now have the Large Hadron Collider atom accelerator that will create birth of the universe at 99.9999 per cent of the speed of sound.

Reporter: And why would you spend 8.8 billion research and tax dollars to build it?

Scientist: It is important for humanity to know where we came from, to understand the known and unknown universe.

Reporter: No, really, why would you spend money that could clearly actually do some good in the world, instead of building your big magnet there.

Scientist: Because it's cool.

And there you have it. One of the reasons the shuttle program still exsists is because of the so-called "science experiments" they had to put on board as even the scientific community was questioning why billions of dollars were being spent to fly people around orbit just because we can.

Okay that is my rant for the day.

Peace, love, chocolate and really big magnets that could destroy the earth. :)