Centerfield

Did you know there's a gaping hole in the fabric of the universe?

Leaving Iraq

As the demands to leave increase, I hear arguments about dates. But I keep seeing an almost total lack of discussion on, let alone actual proposals to address, how to get out the Iraqis (and their families) who have worked for us there -- as translators, drives, whatever. And whose lives won't be worth spit once we leave.

I figure this means that almost all of those making those demands to leave fall into one of two categories:
- those who aren't serious. Just concerned with scoring political points.
- those whose much-trumpeted sense of right and wrong does not include any actual morals.

Any bets on when the Congress will actually act to get those folks out of Iraq and into the United States? Or wherever else they want to go.

This story was news to me.

Tully, technically it's not a hole in the fabric but rather the contents. Still quite amazing, though... it's roughly 10,000 times the size of our galaxy.

Well, which gaping hole first? The cosmic one is amazing because a singularity as the universal starting point posits some background noise everywhere. If the essential nature of the universe is statistical then the existence of "nothing" is not a supreme violation of natural law anymore than my suddenly floating in air.

As for other gaping holes, I suspect we aren't leaving Iraq in force anytime soon. Perhaps both sides are so caught up in Viet Nam comparisons neither Party will be satisfied until embassy officals are jumping from roofs onto copters with thousands left behind.

Another gaping hole is the status of contractors. The Democratic secret is that they are not planning to pull them out. Who protects them and if they fight, what legal protection do they have when our forces are gone? If they leave, who protects the thousands our troops aren't protecting now?

Lastly, an interesting view of the role cities play in the war on terror.

Is the summer over already?

> Did you know there's a gaping hole in the fabric of the universe?

Yes, because I've been reading slashdot today ;-).

I've got what seems to me to be a much simpler explanation: there's alot more dust and other substellar, lower-case-'d' dark matter in the universe than most astronomers think there is.

Stellar formation simulations have lead astronomers to expect a certain range of ratios of dark matter to matter in the stars that we can see. But we see LOTS more gravitation than that ratio predicts. To explan this, astronomers are suggesting changes in gravitational models and exotic forms of (upper-case-D) Dark matter.

Or you could believe the ratios of dust to stars suggested by the simulations are way wrong.

IMHO, this region is explainable alot more easily as being on the other side of a thick dust cloud.

We can believe that gravity's all wrong, that most of the universe is an unobserved form of exotic matter, and that there's a hole in the universe. Or we can believe that our simulations need work. Not a tough choice to me.

The Pot story is tragic. I wonder what Constitutional right the government has to spy from above. I posted this at SF but perhaps it might be worthy to follow Steve's story.

here

Sorry for the double post, but the first one didn't seem to appear after more than a full minute.

P.S. Fabric might be appropriate. Normal empty space is not really empty. If spontaneous quantum events are not taking place in this sizable area, what better wording than a hole in the fabric of space? If it is a hole, what's on the other side? Here are some incredible recent pictures of our universe.

Astronomers recently discovered an unusual neutron star that may upset general star theory. It’s not to far away either.

I know, Zuisidra, but I liked the sound of it my way. We really know nothing except that there's nothing there that we can find. :-)

Don't you think this "exotic dust cloud" would have to be huge and have nearby gravitational effects to be large enough or close enough to produce the illusion of a 6 billion light year wide empty region? And wouldn't it produce an observable lensing effect?

I am less an astronomer than a political pundit....LOL

Wow Just seeing if spitzer pictures can link here.

Speaking of gaping holes and dark matters, Gonzales has just announced he's resigning.