Nobel Prize for Higgs Boson (aka. the 'God Particle')

The Higgs boson is back in discussions, because its discoverers were awarded the Nobel Prize in physics. 

The Higgs boson is the last piece of the Standard Model of physics that describes the fundamental make-up of the universe. Some commentators - though not scientists - have called it the "God particle", for its role in turning the Big Bang into an ordered cosmos.

Of course, as Jesuit Brother Guy Consolmango, who's a researcher and spokesman at the Vatican Observatory, said,

“The name 'the God particle' was given to it as a joke by Leon Lederman,” the Vatican astronomer recalled. “It was basically a provocative title for book he was writing on particle physics.”

“He said that if there was a particle that could exist that could explain all the little things we wanted to explain, it would be a gift from God. It is a metaphor and has nothing to do with theology.”

 

Euthanasia in Canada?

Bill 52 in Quebec, if passed, would approve euthanasia as part of "end-of-life care."

It's one thing when this sort of thing happens across the ocean, but this is in North America, not so far from where I live (though in another country).

The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, the largest association of evangelical Christians in Canada, argues

that the bill's authors manipulate language to encourage people to accept the murder of vulnerable people as a solution to a problem. Should bill 52 be passed, then “patients will die at the hands of their doctors under the guise of ‘end-of-life care,’” the EFC observes.

 

Salmonella Blamed on Shutdown

And if you weren't already gripping your rosary because of the shutdown (they're even feeling it in Antarctica), how about the salmonella outbreak? It's a result of the FDA being closed during the shutdown.

The public health alert, issued yesterday, is associated with "raw chicken products produced by Foster Farms at three facilities in California." The alert was issued after "an estimated 278 illnesses were recently reported in 18 states, predominantly in California."

According to Wired, while the USDA has kept a larger percentage of its staff than many other departments, among the 13% who are home are those responsible for inspection operations for meat, poultry, and egg products.

 

On a Lighter Note

Lest you think there is nothing in the news to make you actually smile, allow me to point you to this, from Mashable: Librarian Shaming, a Tumblr which has librarians holding hand-written signs confessing their "sins" regarding library books.

While it made me laugh, it also made me consider how often we fail to look at others as human, as similar to ourselves.

But, that said, I sure haven't spilled a glass of water on my book...