Monday, October 27, 2008

U.S. authorities uncover skinhead plot to assassinate Obama


On Monday U.S. secret services stated that they have successfully broken up an assassination plot on the democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama and 88 other African Americans in the state of Tennessee. The court records state that federal agents foiled the plan of two Neo-Nazi skinheads trying to rob a gun store and target a high school. The two men confessed in the court that they were planning to kill 88 African Americans and of those 88, 14 of them were to be beheaded. Senator Barack Obama was to be their final target after attempting to go on a national killing spree. The two men never actually thought they would be able to pull of their act. One of the Neo-Nazis is Daniel Cowart who is pictured in the top right hand corner. The federal agents who apprehended the two men later found the necessary legal documents that proved that the plotters were planning to "drive their vehicle as fast as they could toward Obama shooting at him from the windows". The men also stated that they were willing to die in the attempt. So there is no evidence that others are involved in the plot. 

The racism that still exists in the world is horrifying. Some would think that the racism in the U.S. would have died down a bit to a point when people are not going to run into schools and shoot every race they hate. It is a very good thing that federal agents know how to deal with these issues and are able to stop these plots from being carried out. It is also very unlikely that the two men part of this plot to assassinate Obama are the only ones involved. IT does not make sense how skin heads still exist. I think the next United States president should really begin to pass legislation enforcing human rights, whether it is McCain or Obama. The fact that these men's plot was to go into a school and after go on a cross country killing spree is unimaginable. If this does not give the government a good enough reason to limit arms distribution in the States I do not think anything will. These men were going to rob a gun store, which sold military grade weapons. What would the average American do with these weapons? You do not need a fully automatic rifle to go hunting. 

Friday, October 24, 2008

Revolutionary paper is stronger than steel


Florida State University just unveiled their revolutionary "Buckypaper". This new material was created using the third form of pure carbon "Buckyball". The scientists who discovered "BuckyBall" did it by accident and were awarded the Nobel Prize for chemistry in 1996. Buckypaper looks like an ordinary piece of paper, in reality to it is potentially 10 times lighter than steel and 500 times stronger.  It can conduct electricity as well as copper and silicon. Each sheet of Buckypaper consists of tube-shaped carbon molecules that are 50,000 times thinner than a human hair. The unique properties that Buckypaper has could be used to improve technology in light energy efficient, airplanes, cars and improved TV screens. If Buckypaper is used to build huge oil tankers and cargo ships instead of steel it can reduce the weight of the ships and overall improve their speed and fuel efficiency. Researchers are now developing manufacturing techniques for Buckypaper to increase the quantity produced and lower the price. If this happens Buckypaper would be a revolutionary material that could possibly take the place of steel making products 500 times stronger and 10 times lighter. The developers of Buckpaper are hoping that it can be used in conventional aircraft as it will make aircraft lighter and stronger while providing better protection against electromagnetic interferences and lighting strikes. The goal is to make Buckpaper commercially available within 12 months. 


I think this is a revolutionary discovery. This could change how everything from refrigerators to passenger jetliners are made. Governments as well as ordinary people should invest in this composite material because according to the scientists who discovered it said that when Buckypaper reaches full potential it would become the leading composite material. The best feature of this material is that it increases a plane's fuselage and it also protects it from lighting. This material can save the lives of innocent people because of its incredible strength. Its amazing how that any consumer product can last longer if built with Buckypaper. Even though this find is revolutionary I beleive that governments and big companies are not paying attention to it as much as they such. This material can reap huge profits to anyone who begins to mass produce it. It is possible that in the near future Buckypaper may even replace steel. 

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Laser beam hits WestJet pilot in the eye on Calgary takeoff

Transport Canada and the police are investigating the complaint of a West Jet pilot taking off in Calgary who claimed that a laser beam hit him in the eye during take off. The same West Jet flight took off from Calagary two weeks earlier when a green laser briefly lit up the cock pit and hit the first officier in the eye. Fortunately neither the pilot nor the first officier received any serious injuries which would have ended their flying career. The police are taking these incidents very seriously even dispatching search helicopters to find the sources of these laser beams. There have been about 33 reports of bright lights shining into cockpits in the past two years according to Transport Canada. People caught could face fines exceeding $1000.

In my opinion the idea of someone actually having a laser powerful enough to blind a pilot momentarily seems ridiculous. First of all they planes are travelling very fast so how can it possible that someone on the ground can even aim into the cockpit. The cockpit is on the top side of the plane and the people aiming on the ground are underneath it. I think anyone caught doing it should be punished harsher because they could be putting people's careers and lives at risk. The fact that this is becoming a serious issue is ridiculous. I suggest that they fit planes with window panels that filter the light that goes through so pilots cannot be blinded by sudden flashes of light. I think pilots should be able to handle a tiny green laser beam if they are trained to fly through thunder storms safely. One can also ask why are such powerful laser pointed being distributed. Isn't their function to point a laser at something so wouldn't a low power red laser suffice? So some of the blame can be put on the companies are selling powerful laser pointers because no one really uses those lasers for anything productive.

Sunday, October 5, 2008

Hong Kong Tests Find Melamine in Cadbury Candies


On Sunday Hong Kong's food agency claims to have discovered unsafe quantities of melamine in Cadbury Chocolate products made in Beijing. The British chocolate company recalled its Chinese made candies the day after the report. Two different types of products produced by Cadbury were recalled from parts of Asia and the Pacific. The Centre of Food Safety in Hong Kong said that the two products contained over the city legal limit of melamine which is 2.5 parts per million. Cadbury's Dairy Milk Hazelnut Chocolate bars contained 56 parts per million while the Dairy Milk Cookies chocolate contained 6.9 parts per million. Health officials are advising the public to stop consuming these products because of the high levels of melamine. Melamine is a substance that is high in nitrogen and can mask low nutrient levels when going through tests. The officials beleive that it was used to hide low protein levels detected from low quality milk.

In my opinion this incident did not come as a suprise. Chinese made products are notorious for having the possibility that some cheaper unsafe substance may be used in the production process. I think that the Chinese officials do not care at all and that the Chinese government would have to be very corrupt to allow incidents like these to happen. It is also the fault of major corperations that are taking advantage of China's low Health and Safety standards to make quick profit. Not only should the Chinese government be blamed but the companies that are aware that their products are made with dangerous chemicals that can cause serious health issues.