- Columns - Current and Archives
- Looking Back by Jack Lebo - February 2012 >
- Murphy's Law - July 2013>
- Murphy's Law - May 2013
- Murphy's Law - April 2013
- Murphy's Law - March 2013
- Murphy's Law - February 2013
- Murphy's Law - January 2013
- Murphy's Law - December 2012
- Murphy's Law - November 2012
- Murphy's Law - October 2012
- Murphy's Law - September 2012
- Murphy's Law - August 2012
- Murphy's Law - July 2012
- Murphy's Law - June 2012
- Murphy's Law - May 2012
- Murphy's Law - April 2012
- Murphy's Law - March 2012
- Murphy's Law - February 2012
- Murphy's Law - January 2012
- Murphy's Law - December 2011
- Murphy's Law - November 2011
- Murphy's Law - October 2011
- Murphy's Law - September 2011
- Murphy's Law - August 2011
- Murphy's Law - July 2011
- Murphy's Law - June 2011
- Murphy's Law - May 2011
- Your Money Matters by Thomas Sottile - February 2013>
- Taking Care by Lisa Petsche - May 2013>
- Taking Care - April 2013
- Taking Care - March 2013
- Taking Care - February 2013
- Taking Care - January 2013
- Taking Care - December 2012
- Taking Care - November 2012
- Taking Care - October 2012
- Taking Care - September 2012
- Taking Care - August 2012
- Taking Care - July 2012
- Taking Care - June 2012
- Taking Care - May 2012
- Travel Articles
- There's Much To Like About Tybee Island, Georgia
- PA’s Little Town Of Bethlehem Has Giant History, Pleasant Surprises
- Savannah Style: History, Food, Architecture And Even Ghosts
- Vacationing Beats Back Winter
- Visiting The Inn At Pocono Manor
- Delights of Northern Ireland
- Tuscana Resort near Orlando
- Belfast To Commemorate Titanic
- Protect Your Home While Vacationing
- Nearby Hampton Roads, Virginia
- New 'Heritage' Travel Division Formed
- Lifestyle Articles
- PAE-300 ‘Personal Audio Enhancer’ Brings New Sounds And Clarity To Television
- Seniors Desire To Stay In Home Has Led To Innovative Housing
- ‘Pleasantly Plump’ May Not Pose Serious Health Problems After All
- Spring Hills Brings Home Care, Assisted Living to S. Jersey
- Sense Of Family Obligation Remains Strong
- Becoming Bilingual Thought To Delay Onset Of Cognitive Impairment
- Comprehensive Study Provides Foundation For ‘New American Diet’
- Is Alzheimer's A Myth?
- Living Alone, Without Loneliness
- Chocolate In Moderation
- Expert: Forgiveness, Gratitude Are Essential For Healthy Aging
- Expert: No Limit To Length Of Life
- Media-Based Pennsylvania Veterans Museum Is Historic Treasure
- Joint Task: Take Action To Combat Knee Pain
- Want Better Performance From Portfolio? Watch Congress
- Conscientiousness Key To Longevity
- Men, Women 'Retire' Differently
- Sleep Problems And Cognitive Issues
- Newsworthy
- Binge Drinking Is A National Problem — Even With Senior Citizens
- Study Warns Of High Cardiovascular Disease Risks Of Eating Yolks
- Study: 'Old' People Smell Better
- Depression, Anxiety Are Key Factors In Impact Of Parkinson’s Disease
- Study: Don’t Worry, Be Happy For Better Cardiovascular Health
- ‘Chore Connection’ Provides Unique Services, Volunteer Opportunities
- Study Reinforces Benefits Of Regular Colonoscopies
- Study: 'Senior Moments' Begin Earlier
- Three New Studies Suggest Aspirin May Prevent Some Cancers
- No Sure Bet: Seniors Must Recognize Potential Gambling Problems
- Coping With Grief
- New Recommendation Creates Debate Over Prostate Screening
- High Salt, Low Potassium Diet Linked To Increased Death Risk
- Medical Director At HCR ManorCare Receives APPLE Award
- RomneyCare Awful Lot Like Obamacare
- Grandkids Safer With Gram/Pop At Wheel
- AARP: Recession Hits Seniors Hard
- Antidepressants Can Increase Danger of Falling
- Poll: Low Marks For U.S. Healthcare
- More Good News For Coffee Drinkers
- Book Reviews
- We The People
- The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks
- The Love Of My Youth
- The American Way Of Eating
- ‘Rin Tin Tin’
- Pity The Billionaire
- Classic: Uncle Tom's Cabin
- A Stocking Full Of New Christmas Novels
- When China Rules The World
- The Submission - Amy Waldman
- My Soul's Been Psychedelicized
- Reckless Endangerment
- O'Nan's 'Emily Alone'
- Baseball In The Garden Of Eden
- Leisure / Entertainment
- Music - Donald Fagen's 'Eminent Hipster,' Jimi Hendrix Release
- Music - Two CD-Set Features Elvis In Hawaii; Eric Burdon Has New Release
- Music - Billy Joel's 'Love Songs' Set For Release
- Music - Paul Anka Shows Off His Versatility With Compilation CD Of ‘Duets’
- Music - Elvis, Otis Redding Fans Treated To Compilation Sets
- Music - Even At Age 80, Willie Nelson Flaunts Staying Power With Duets Album
- Music - New 63-CD Set Spans Much Of Johnny Cash's Career
- Music - Preservation Jazz Hall Band Celebrates Anniversary
- Music - New Releases Spotlight Garfunkel, Los Lobos
- Music - Television Pioneer Ernie Kovacs Featured In Two New DVD Releases
- Music - Simon’s ‘Graceland’ Album Celebrated With Anniversary Release
- Music - New Releases of Hathaway, Heart Music
- Music - Willie Nelson Still Producing New Music
- Music - New Release of Elvis' Work
- Music - 'The Sound Of Philadelphia'
- Music - Dave Brubeck, Hank Williams Reissues
- Music - Janis Joplin Showcased On 2 New CD Releases
- Music - Paul Simon, Jimi Hendrix Reissues
- Legal Articles
- Adult Children May Be Left To Pay Nursing Home Costs Of Indigent Parents
- Make A Resolution That Provides Long-Term Security
- Dialogue Helps Control And Direct Legal, Financial & Medical Matters
- Life Changes Can Require Revisions, Updates To Estate Plan
- Wills Create Solid Foundation For Effective Estate Planning
- Keep Or Shred? Know What To Do With Personal, Financial Records
- Recent Court Ruling Makes It ‘Open Season’ On Adult Children In PA
- Assuring For Care Of Your Pet
- Reader Resources
- Links To Government and Social Services
- Senior Discounts / bradsdeals.com
- For Advertisers / 2013
- To Subscribe
- Contact Us
- Submitting Letters To The Editor
Murphy’s Law, written by Barbara Murphy, appears monthly in The Golden Times. The column represents the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the opinion of the publisher.
Failure To Fund Research Has Us
Looking At ‘Doomsday Rock’
While the nincompoops in Washington were mindlessly letting the country drift toward economic disaster in the form of “sequestration,” visitors from outer space were reminding us that a “doomsday rock” is ready and able to obliterate Planet Earth unless we humans get real serious, real fast about research into the contents of the solar system.
Politicians on the radical right have made a religion of their belief that government should be miniaturized and taxes lowered to near zero no matter what harm this does to needed services like food inspection, air control, defense, early childhood education and research, to name just a few.
I generally fear and oppose all the cuts that these antigovernment ideologues want to make. But since Feb. 16, the threatened cut in research scares me the most. It was in the early morning of that unforgettable day that I learned via TV that a meteor had exploded over the city of Chelyabinsk in Siberia, Russia with the force of 20 Hiroshima-era atomic bombs. The cosmic blast injured more than 1,000 people as it blew out every window in that city.
NASA estimated that the Russian meteor was about the size of a bus and weighed an estimated 7,000 tons. According to the Russian Academy of Sciences, the meteor entered Earth’s atmosphere at a hyper-sonic speed of at least 33,000 miles per hour and exploded into pieces about 12 to 15 miles above the city. The explosion released 300 to 500 kilotons of energy. A kiloton is an explosive force equal to that of 1,000 tons of TNT.
Just a few hours later, I tuned into NPR’s “Science Friday” program just as a countdown was in progress. I heard “five-four-three-two-one” and then people cheering for all they were worth. The people, space scientists I assume, had been watching the progress of Asteroid 2012 DA14 and what made them so happy was that the huge asteroid, discovered a year ago, had missed the Earth — as scientists had predicted — by 17,000 miles. In cosmic terms, that was a close encounter. DA14’s pass was well below the man-made satellites that are circling the Earth.
While scientists knew that DA14 was coming, there was no advance warning of the Russian meteor. What if that baby had come in at a different angle, knocked DA14 off its trajectory and sent the asteroid crashing into earth? The result would have been catastrophic for mankind and every other living creature.
As renowned astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson said later: “We live in a shooting gallery.” He said the near simultaneous arrival of the two lethal space visitors should be an alarm bell alerting us that if we want to save the planet from cosmic destruction that we have to do all the research necessary to identify every flying big rock up there and devise some way of preventing them from crashing into Earth.
With respect to the latter possibility, Dr. Tyson said that trying to blow up an incoming asteroid would be a mistake because that would just create a lethal shower of monster rocks. He recommended that scientists devise some method to push an asteroid headed to Earth into another trajectory.
Fortunately, some of the needed research is already underway. The New York Times reported that a group of young Silicon Valley entrepreneuars who helped build companies like eBay, Google and Facebook has already put millions of dollars into asteroid detection and that this group saw the Feb. 16 shock-wave as a turning point in raising hundreds of millions more.
Edward Lu, a former NASA astronaut and Google executive who heads the group, told The Times: “Wouldn’t it be silly if we got wiped out because we weren’t looking. This is a wake-up call from space. We’ve got to pay attention to what’s out there.”
NASA, which also is engaged in asteroid detection efforts, estimates that fewer than 10 percent of the big dangers have been discovered.
The threat is very real. The Earth is frequently bombarded by small meteorites. In 1908, a huge space rock crashed into Siberia and destroyed a million trees. This occurred about 3,000 miles east of Chelyabinsk. An asteroid that crashed into Earth 65 million years ago created a crater more than 100 miles wide beneath the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico and is believed to have caused the extinction of the dinosaur.
The meteor that exploded in Cheylabinsk and the asteroid that came within 17,000 miles of Earth are a dire warning that we must put all the money that we can lay our hands on into space research. The very survival of our planet is at stake.
Mindless ideologues who don’t want taxpayer money spent on much of anything must be persuaded of the error — make that idiocy — of their ways. Refusal to fully fund space research would be worse than stupid. It would amount to pre-meditated murder of life on Earth.
*
Barbara Murphy, 80, writes about controversial issues each month.
Looking At ‘Doomsday Rock’
While the nincompoops in Washington were mindlessly letting the country drift toward economic disaster in the form of “sequestration,” visitors from outer space were reminding us that a “doomsday rock” is ready and able to obliterate Planet Earth unless we humans get real serious, real fast about research into the contents of the solar system.
Politicians on the radical right have made a religion of their belief that government should be miniaturized and taxes lowered to near zero no matter what harm this does to needed services like food inspection, air control, defense, early childhood education and research, to name just a few.
I generally fear and oppose all the cuts that these antigovernment ideologues want to make. But since Feb. 16, the threatened cut in research scares me the most. It was in the early morning of that unforgettable day that I learned via TV that a meteor had exploded over the city of Chelyabinsk in Siberia, Russia with the force of 20 Hiroshima-era atomic bombs. The cosmic blast injured more than 1,000 people as it blew out every window in that city.
NASA estimated that the Russian meteor was about the size of a bus and weighed an estimated 7,000 tons. According to the Russian Academy of Sciences, the meteor entered Earth’s atmosphere at a hyper-sonic speed of at least 33,000 miles per hour and exploded into pieces about 12 to 15 miles above the city. The explosion released 300 to 500 kilotons of energy. A kiloton is an explosive force equal to that of 1,000 tons of TNT.
Just a few hours later, I tuned into NPR’s “Science Friday” program just as a countdown was in progress. I heard “five-four-three-two-one” and then people cheering for all they were worth. The people, space scientists I assume, had been watching the progress of Asteroid 2012 DA14 and what made them so happy was that the huge asteroid, discovered a year ago, had missed the Earth — as scientists had predicted — by 17,000 miles. In cosmic terms, that was a close encounter. DA14’s pass was well below the man-made satellites that are circling the Earth.
While scientists knew that DA14 was coming, there was no advance warning of the Russian meteor. What if that baby had come in at a different angle, knocked DA14 off its trajectory and sent the asteroid crashing into earth? The result would have been catastrophic for mankind and every other living creature.
As renowned astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson said later: “We live in a shooting gallery.” He said the near simultaneous arrival of the two lethal space visitors should be an alarm bell alerting us that if we want to save the planet from cosmic destruction that we have to do all the research necessary to identify every flying big rock up there and devise some way of preventing them from crashing into Earth.
With respect to the latter possibility, Dr. Tyson said that trying to blow up an incoming asteroid would be a mistake because that would just create a lethal shower of monster rocks. He recommended that scientists devise some method to push an asteroid headed to Earth into another trajectory.
Fortunately, some of the needed research is already underway. The New York Times reported that a group of young Silicon Valley entrepreneuars who helped build companies like eBay, Google and Facebook has already put millions of dollars into asteroid detection and that this group saw the Feb. 16 shock-wave as a turning point in raising hundreds of millions more.
Edward Lu, a former NASA astronaut and Google executive who heads the group, told The Times: “Wouldn’t it be silly if we got wiped out because we weren’t looking. This is a wake-up call from space. We’ve got to pay attention to what’s out there.”
NASA, which also is engaged in asteroid detection efforts, estimates that fewer than 10 percent of the big dangers have been discovered.
The threat is very real. The Earth is frequently bombarded by small meteorites. In 1908, a huge space rock crashed into Siberia and destroyed a million trees. This occurred about 3,000 miles east of Chelyabinsk. An asteroid that crashed into Earth 65 million years ago created a crater more than 100 miles wide beneath the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico and is believed to have caused the extinction of the dinosaur.
The meteor that exploded in Cheylabinsk and the asteroid that came within 17,000 miles of Earth are a dire warning that we must put all the money that we can lay our hands on into space research. The very survival of our planet is at stake.
Mindless ideologues who don’t want taxpayer money spent on much of anything must be persuaded of the error — make that idiocy — of their ways. Refusal to fully fund space research would be worse than stupid. It would amount to pre-meditated murder of life on Earth.
*
Barbara Murphy, 80, writes about controversial issues each month.