Northern Echo #26

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Issue # 26 - December 2013

Every person in the world has a heart.

Every heart has a place within that wants only to love and be loved.

Let us connect with that place of love in our own heart and in the hearts of all around us.

Let us take a moment to open our hearts and share with everyone through love.

We wish you all a meaningful and love-filled Christmas and a Happy New Year 2014 ahead.

May your days be filled with love, joy, growth, and inspiration.

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Churchill RCMP respond to polar bear attacks On November 1, 2013, just after 5am, Churchill RCMP responded to a polar bear attack in the Town of Churchill.

Police say that a 69-year-old man exited his home when he heard a bear confront two pedestrians. The bear attacked the male, only running off when a vehicle drove towards it. The male was taken to local hospital suffering from multiple lacerations. He is in stable condition.

him while on a call to a home.

Peterborough County Ontario Provincial Police said an officer was speaking to a woman about a bear that had been in the area for the past four days.

The woman said the bear had torn open garbage containers, appeared to be getting more aggressive and she feared it would try and get into her home. The bear approached the officer and woman, as they spoke, and started to “stalk” them, police said. The officer told the woman to go into her home and he shot the bear when he couldn’t scare it off, police said.

Police said the officer feared for the woman’s life as well as his own.

Cop beating victim relives nightmare

Churchill RCMP were also advised of an injured female who was attacked by a polar bear in an incident just after 5am.

The 30-year-old female had left the scene of the attack prior to RCMP arriving. She has been transported to local hospital. Both victims are in stable condition.

Manitoba Conservation and Water Stewardship tracked the polar bear. In the process of tracking the bear, two bears were shot and killed.

Cop shoots bear APSLEY, Ont. — An Ontario police officer says he feared for his life after a bear approached

BARRIE, Ontario - Jason Stern breaks into a cold sweat whenever he sees a police officer – especially if he is alone.

He feels that watery, jittery feeling in his gut as adrenaline courses through his body with that survival warning: “Run. You are not safe.”

“I want to believe they are good,” says Stern, his hands twisting as he speaks. “But I could never trust a police officer again.”

As if in some faraway country where freedom doesn’t exist, Stern now thinks of police officers as, ‘The Brotherhood.’

“If it’s not a brotherhood, why did they let a dangerous police officer roam the streets, knowing he had 20 public complaints against him?” asks Stern. “Why did they let him loose so that he could beat me to a pulp?”

Right now, the officer, Barrie police Const.

Jason Nevill, sits in a jail cell for what he did to Stern, an innocent, mild-mannered college grad who said he now suffers from post-traumatic

stress and memory loss after the beating he got for no reason. Last month, Nevill was sentenced to one year in jail for assault causing bodily harm, then fabricating the evidence against Stern to make him look like the criminal.

Were it not for a surveillance video later produced in court, it would have been Stern sitting in prison for two years for assaulting a police officer.

The disturbing video shows Stern walking to the Bayfield Mall in Barrie to retrieve a forgotten wallet. He is met at the door by two security guards who tell him he can’t leave because earlier that evening Stern’s buddy broke a foam Christmas ornament that was hanging in the hallway.

The three chat calmly until the police officer arrives. Within seconds, the burly officer, an avid weightlifter and wrestling fan, attacks the smaller Stern, throws him to the ground like a rag doll, cuffs him, then continues punching and kneeing him to unconsciousness as he lay face down in his own pool of blood. But still the punches to his head go on.

Bloodied, bruised and in pain, Stern’s head swirls in confusion as he watches the officer and guards take buckets of water to wash away the pools of blood.

True to his own character, Stern remains polite and compliant.

“I had to, for my own safety,” he recalls.

He was brought to hospital covered in blood and publicly humiliated in handcuffs. He was diagnosed with a concussion, stitched up, then promptly arrested. As he sat in the cells, Nevill then walked over, smirked at him through the cell bars and snapped a photo of Stern’s bloody face.

“He was grinning,” said Stern. ”He told me to plead guilty and he was smiling.”

Stern was released with a court date, got home at around 5 a.m., closed the door and broke down, sobbing uncontrollably.

“I lost it,” he says. “I was a wreck. It was like – what just happened?”

For days after, while the swelling deformed his face and the bruises that covered his body turned a blackish purple, Stern was afraid to go out of the house. He couldn’t sleep. He was afraid to answer the door.

Later, he was devastated to learn he was facing a two-year jail sentence.

“How could they do this? Just on an officer’s notes?” he said. “I didn’t have money to take it to trial.”

Stern, his parents, his fiancé and his grandmother pooled their savings to hire a lawyer, who got a copy of the video.

The charges were instantly dropped and the officer charged. He took the case to trial – and lost.

To the end, Nevill has shown no remorse.

“I find that alarming,” said Stern. “There has to be something wrong with him, and he is going to get out of there in a few months.

He wonders what he would do if he saw Nevill on the street.

“Turn and run I think,” he said.

Fear still hounds him through his days. Nightmares haunt him in the night.

“I dream I am watching it happen, I see the fists swinging, and I can’t protect myself.”

A day after the conviction against Nevill, Stern was summoned to police Chief Kimberly Greenwood’s office, where she apologized.

But Stern wonders if the police really care: “If she cared – if any of the police cared – why didn’t they stop him before? They are here to protect the citizens, but they only protect themselves.”

Real or imagined, Stern believes he is not safe in Barrie and he must leave the town he grew up in. “I’m afraid I’m blackballed by The Brothers,” he says. “Especially big, bald guys.”

He would have to uproot his fiancé, who is a

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page 3 nurse at the hospital, and their eight-month-old child and move from Barrie.

“Some day I will have to tell my daughter what happened before she sees that video,” he says. “What will I tell her? I was raised by my parents to be a good person. To respect police. That night, that’s what I thought I was doing.”

Stern and his lawyer, Bernard Keating, are now suing the officer, Barrie Police Services and the mall security guards. Stern is disappointed to learn that it will be a trial by judge alone because the laws of this country don’t allow a police officer to be tried by a jury.

“It’s like police have this ultimate power and they can do whatever they want and get away with it,” he says. “If they don’t like you, you’re a dead duck.”

Unless there is a video. *** In the opinion of one of Ontario’s top judges, an appeal launched by Const. Jason Nevill has no hope of succeeding.

“In my view, this appeal is frivolous,” said Justice J.A. Sharpe in his written decision following a recent appeal application.

Last month, after being sentenced to one year in jail for assault causing bodily harm and fabricating evidence to frame an innocent victim, Nevill hoped to get out of jail on bail

Jason Stern 10 days after the beating

Jason Stern Jason Stern In front of the Court House

'All Natural' labels are disappearing off processed foods Police Const. Jason Nevill

There’s no FDA definition for “all natural” when it comes to foods, and companies that stamp it on their products are finding themselves in trouble with consumers so manufacturers are changing the packaging.

Three years ago, Frito-Lay made their junk food less junky by removing artificial flavors, artificial preservatives, and monosodium glutamate (MSG).

The company put prominent labels on Tostitos, Lay’s Chips, and SunChips boasting that the products were “All Natural.”

Dirty Cop Jason Nevill convicted while his appeal was pending, but the judge shot him down.

Nevill’s lawyer David Butt appealed the verdict largely on the grounds he believed the trial judge did not give enough credence to the defence expert witness who testified Nevill’s use of force against his victim, captured on video, was justified.

“I find the proposition that the appellant’s conduct, as revealed by the video, could be consistent with police training to be extremely alarming,” said Sharpe.

“There is, in my view, no prospect of success on this appeal,” the judge added. “The appellant unleashed an unprovoked and vicious attack on the complainant. But for the video, it is entirely possible that an innocent man would have been convicted on fabricated charges.”

The decision caused a sigh of relief from Nevill’s victim, Jason Stern, who said he still suffers from memory loss and post-traumatic stress from the beating he endured.

“I did not want run into him out on the street,” said Stern.

“Although I know sooner than later, he will be out.”

“My client was subjected to the worst possible treatment by a violent, lying, public servant,” said Stern’s lawyer Bernard Keating.

Nevill will be eligible for parole after serving one third of his sentence. *** Stern’s parents, who said they were sickened after watching the video of their son being beaten, expressed outrage at the justice system.

“What is wrong with the justice system?” said his mother.

So, a civilian assaulting an officer is up for two years in jail, yet an officer assaulting a civilian and then trumping up phoney charges gets only one?

Anyone else see something seriously wrong here?

As an officer, shouldn't he be held to a higher standard?

If you looked at a bag of those chips on the store shelf today, you wouldn’t see that label. Why? Doesn’t that label appeal to consumers? It does, but over the past couple of years as consumers have become more aware of the fact that foods labeled all natural can contain genetically modified organisms, some consumers have felt duped.

MSN Money reports that at least 100 lawsuits have been filed against companies like Kashi, Ben & Jerry’s, and SkinnyGirl because of GMOs in their products labeled all natural.

In 2009, 30.4 percent of new food products and 45.5 percent of new beverage products released in the U.S. and Canada were labeled all natural.

This year, 21.1 percent of new food products and 34 percent of new beverage products carried that label.

The big problem here is that the FDA has no official definition for the label “all natural.” The FDA’s website says it does not object to the label on food if the product does not have “added color, artificial flavors, or synthetic substances.”

Are GMOs synthetic substances? Are other ingredients created in a lab like partially hydrogenated oils (which the FDA is looking to do away with) or high fructose corn syrup? The companies that create the product have not thought so. Consumers think differently, and this is where many of the lawsuits are stemming from.

As I was writing this, a thought occurred to me. These food manufacturers are changing their packaging largely because they contain GMOs. The lawsuits are making it not worth it for the companies to label foods all natural.

But, many of these companies are the same ones that are saying that it would be expensive to change their packaging if they were required to label GMOs and they’d have to pass that expense on to consumers. But, they are quietly changing their packaging anyway because it’s beneficial to them.

Now that companies are removing the all natural label from packaging, how are consumers to understand what’s in the food? The answer is quite simple. Ignore the front of the package, no matter what it says, flip the package over, and read the ingredients.

Do you trust a product more because it’s labeled all natural?

page 4

Bit by bit, Bitcoin emerging as currency of the future Navigating the world of tech forums and news you've probably heard some rumblings about Bitcoin (BTC), a digital currency that's growing in popularity.

The idea behind Bitcoin is that users have a digital currency not controlled by any centralized bank or government but rather something for users, by users. Launched in 2009, Bitcoins exist entirely in the digital world, but strides are being made to make it more accessible to users.

In fact, the world's first Bitcoin ATM recently opened up in Van-

couver, allowing users to convert real-world cash into the digital currency. So far the machine has seen around $100,000 pass through it.

For some, Bitcoins represents a potentially lucrative investment opportunity. A story making the rounds online is that of a Norwegian man who bought about $27 worth of Bitcoins four years back, only to see that amount grow to be worth more than $1 million this year. At the time of his original transaction, the currency was still starting up and the man was able to snag around 5,000 Bitcoins for the price of a meal and a movie. Having forgotten about his purchase four years ago, it wasn't until earlier this year that he logged back into his account to find his coins worth the equivalent of $1.1 million. At the time of this writing, a single Bitcoin was worth roughly $330.

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Another interesting note is that because it's also entirely digitally based, people can trade, sell and purchase decimal points of Bitcoins far smaller than what we would compare to as a penny. Those wanting to purchase a cup of coffee in Vancouver using Bitcoins can do so for .0101 BTC. Others have been using Bitcoins as the currency of choice due to the anonymity provided, as transactions do not require personal information from users.

The recent bust of the drug market website Silk Road in the U.S. highlights precisely that, as users dealt exclusively in the digital currency to buy and sell drug transactions online for years before being shutdown by the FBI this past October.

Elsewhere, legitimate businesses, such as online retailers and even brick-and-mortar stores are beginning to accept Bitcoins. The Waves coffee shop in Vancouver, where the first Bitcoin ATM was set up, also accepts them as a form of payment.

As with any currency, the value of a Bitcoin is determined by the number of people willing to value it. As more legitimate businesses begin to accept it in exchange for tangible goods, that value would likely go up, especially knowing that there will only be a finite amount of Bitcoins in circulation.

Currently, there are about 12 million Bitcoins in circulation.

Each year more are released and the total number of units will be capped once it reaches 21 million, which is expected sometime around 2140.

But while Bitcoins may present an interesting currency for some to use, or an investment opportunity for others, there is still the risk of storing one's money in an entirely digital form without a centralized controlling body. Because there is no one bank or website, overseeing all Bitcoins, several sites have popped up to act as transaction processors and storage sites.

Last month one such site, inputs.to, was hit by hackers that stole $1.3 million worth of various users' Bitcoins. Since the currency is not being formally recognized in many forms, crimes involving Bitcoin theft aren't likely to be pursued to the extent that bank account fraud would.

On the official Bitcoin site, it's noted that, "keeping your savings with Bitcoin is not recommended at this point. Bitcoin should be seen like a high-risk asset, and you should never store money that you cannot afford to lose with Bitcoin."

For now, Bitcoin is an interesting prospect worth keeping an eye on !

$100K traded through Vancouver's Bitcoin ATM in one week The world's first Bitcoin ATM is up and running in Vancouver.

One Bitcoin broker explains how it works and the advantages of the digital currency.

The world’s first bitcoin ATM — located in a coffee shop in downtown Vancouver — traded $100,000 CAD of the cybercurrency in its first week, said the man behind the machine.

The strong start was little surprise to Mitchell Demeter, the cofounder of Bitcoiniacs, who said use of the virtual currency con-

page 5

tinues to grow unchecked.

“We’ve had lineups all day every day,” said Demeter on Friday.

Bitcoiniacs, which operates a physical bitcoin exchange store near Granville Island in addition to its ATM, is not releasing num-

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Demeter said Toronto is the most likely location of Bitcoiniacs’ next machine.

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bers on how many unique traders had used the ATM, but Demeter said the appeal of bitcoin has begun to reach far beyond the currency’s niche base of tech-savvy netizens.

“We knew people would be excited and interested,” said Demeter. “I’m a little bit surprised by the amount of new people who are

excited about it and just coming out and learning.”

He said the ATM has made the currency real for people.

“It’s taken bitcoin to the next stage,” he said. “It’s something people can see.”

Bitcoin is digital, existing on the Internet but bought or sold for traditional currency, and used to purchase goods and services online and off.

When the Bitcoiniacs ATM went online Oct. 29 at a Waves coffee shop at Howe and Smithe streets, bitcoin was trading for about $200. By Friday evening, VirtEx, a Canadian Virtual Exchange listed it at $326.

At the ATM users can deposit cash in the machine. The bills are read and money is exchanged instantly on the VirtEx exchange for bitcoins that are deposited to an online wallet. ATM users can also withdraw cash from the machine in exchange for bitcoins in their virtual wallet.

Demeter said many people have come out to try the ATM purely out of curiosity.

The system’s userface is already easy to use, said Demeter, adding that it is about to get easier with a planned redesign.

“It’ll be as easy to use as an iPad.”

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page 6 Meaning, there will be no naked short selling or manipulation of this new market. Sinclair says, “This will emancipate gold from the paper price.” How high will gold go? Sinclair predicts, by 2016, “Gold will be $3,200 to $3,500 an ounce.” By 2020, Sinclair predicts, “Emancipated gold will be $50,000 per ounce.”

Sun's magnetic field will flip soon

NEWS Jim Sinclair

Annihilation of U.S. Dollar Coming

The changing of the sun's polarity has effects on the entire solar system, from satellite disruptions around Earth to storms on Jupiter.

The sun's polarity is getting closer to flipping. The star's northern hemisphere's polarity has already reversed, and the southern hemisphere should follow suit soon, scientists say.

Every 11 years or so, the two hemispheres of the sun reverse their polarity, creating a ripple effect that can be felt throughout the far reaches of the solar system. The sun is currently going through one of those flips in its cycle, scientists working at Stanford

Renowned gold expert Jim Sinclair says financial calamity is just around the corner for America. Sinclair contends, “We are facing the annihilation of currency. We are facing the shift of America as the leading and most influential nation of the world to some form of banana republic. . . . If it wasn’t for food stamps, we would be facing long lines of people waiting for free food.” For gold, everything hinges on the U.S. dollar, and Sinclair says, “I think the dollar gets hammered. I believe we are headed for hyperinflation.” One of the many black swans, according to Sinclair, is the possible abandonment of the U.S. dollar by Saudi Arabia. If Saudi Arabia stopped selling oil only in U.S. dollars, what would that do to the buying power of the buck? Sinclair says gasoline would be “$10 a gallon very soon, without a doubt.”

Sinclair predicts retirement funds and bank deposits are going to be taken by the government. How much of your money could you lose? Sinclair says, “In Cyprus, it was a total of 83%. . . . Cypress is the blueprint, and it’s what we are going to experience here in the United States.” Jim Sinclair, who has just accepted the position as Chairman of the Advisory Board for the establishment of the Singapore Gold Exchange, says, “The exchange will trade physical gold only and not future gold. . . . You have to make delivery.”

University's Wilcox Solar Observatory, which has monitored the sun's magnetic field since 1975, said.

"The sun's poles are reversing, and this is a large-scale process that takes place over a few months, but it happens once every 11 years," Todd Hoeksema, a solar physicist at Stanford said in a video about the polarity reversal. "What we're looking at is really a reversal of the whole heliosphere, everything from the sun out past the planets."

The polarity reversal builds up over time. A sunspot spreads out, causing the sun's magnetic field to migrate from the equator of the star to one of the sun's poles. As this change occurs, the sun's magnetic field reduces to zero and then comes back with the opposite polarity, Hoeksema said in a statement.

"When that reverses it effects us here on Earth because not only do we see more cosmic rays, but there's also more activity on the sun," Hoeksema said. "That activity comes in and it affects the Earth's magnetic field."

The planet's magnetic field affects technology on Earth like GPS systems and power grids, Hoeksema said. The uptick in solar activity can also create brilliant auroras on Earth and on certain planets of the solar system.

"We also see the effects of this on other planets," Hoeksema said in a statement. "Jupiter has storms, Saturn has auroras, and this is all driven by activity of the sun."

This part of the sun's cycle is known as the "solar maximum."

The solar max marks the peak in the star's activity. Usually, the sun's polarity reversal happens during this period of the solar cycle, however, the reversal isn't responsible for the increased number of solar flares and eruptions known as coronal mass ejections usually observed around solar max.

The increased activity acts as an indicator that the polarity reversal will occur, but it doesn't cause the sun to become more active, Hoeksema said in an earlier interview with SPACE.com.

The polarity reversal probably won't harmfully impact Earth, in fact, it could even protect the planet in some ways, scientists have said.

The sun's huge "current sheet" — a surface extending out from the sun's equator — becomes wavier as the poles reverse. The sheet's crinkles can create a better barrier against the cosmic rays that can damage satellites, other spacecraft and people in orbit, scientists said.

Man sues store and NYPD after he's arrested for buying a belt A young black man is suing the store Barneys and the NYPD after he was arrested following the purchase of a pricey belt.

Trayon Christian, 19, told the New York Post he saved money from a part-time job to buy a $350 belt by Italian designer Salvatore Ferragamo. But after he paid for the belt and left the store, he was arrested.

Christian alleges the clerk called police saying he had fraudulently purchased the belt.

Christian's lawyer, Michael Palillo, told the newspaper even after Christian gave police his identification and proof he used his own money to purchase the belt, an officer said it wasn't possible he could afford it.

"His only crime was being a young black man," Palillo said.

Christian is suing the store and the police department for unspecified damages.

Baby abandoned in park named after dog that found her Baby Jade is alive and well, thanks to Jade the German shepherd, who found the newborn in a British park.

A German shepherd named Jade is credited with saving a newborn's life after the dog led her owner to the abandoned baby in a British park. Roger Wilday was walking his 9-year-old dog, when Jade disappeared into some bushes. When she refused to come

page 7 when he called, Wilday went looking for her and found her lying beside a discarded bag.

"I walked over and saw a carrier bag — then I saw it move," Wilday told the Birmingham Mail. "I thought it was a bag of kittens, but then I saw her little arms and a head, and the baby started to cry."

Wilday called the police, who immediately transported the infant — who was only 24 hours old and still had the umbilical cord attached — to the hospital.

Based on the 6-pound baby's temperature, police believe she’d been in the park no more than 30 minutes.

"Pediatricians have confirmed the baby was lucky to be found when she was as even just a few more hours exposed to the elements could have had fatal consequences."

A spokesman for the police say the baby — whom nurses have named Jade after Wilday's dog — is doing well and is expected to be placed with a foster family in the next few days.

Police have been scouring the park and searching for witnesses to determine who abandoned baby Jade. They've also run a DNA test on the infant and the blanket she was found wrapped in.

Meanwhile, Jade the German shepherd is being lauded as a hero.

Wilday says his dog loves his five grandchildren and thinks her affection for children is why she refused to leave the baby's side.

"I think my dog saved the baby's life. I'm very proud of her," he said.

Tennessee cop fired after shooting and pepper spraying squirrel A Tennessee police officer who fired his gun and then pepper-sprayed a rogue squirrel running amok inside a general store has been dismissed from the force -- for not doing the paperwork.

The Mountain City cop, Jody Putnam, was sacked for refusing to fill out the paperwork required by officers who discharge their weapons, WBIR reported, not for opening fire or blasting pepper spray inside the Dollar General Store last Thursday while customers were shopping.

"There was a lot of people that come out and just like me, they came out and they were coughing and a hacking," Carl Duffield told WJHL-TV. "It was comical, but I'm sure they didn't feel that way - the customers that came out."

Putnam let loose with the pepper spray after being unable too get rid of the rodent by firing his service gun, perhaps as many as three times, it was reported.

Hunter misses moose, shoots man on toilet OSLO - A Norwegian hunter took aim at a moose, but missed and accidentally hit a man sitting on the toilet in a nearby cabin.

The bullet whizzed past the animal, pierced the wooden wall behind it and struck the man, in his seventies, in the stomach.

The victim was flown by helicopter to hospital but his injury was not life-threatening, said the policeman who led the investigation, Anders Stroemsaether. The hunter was taken in for questioning in Hvaler district, about 120km southeast of the capital of Oslo, said the force. The moose escaped unscathed.

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Can we make ourselves happier? According to studies from all over the globe collated by the World Happiness Database in Rotterdam, we can. But the path to happiness may not be where we are looking for it. Prof Ruut Veenhoven, Director of the Database and Emeritus professor of social conditions for human happiness at the Erasmus University in Rotterdam, says his own study found a slight negative correlation between the number of times people in a study spontaneously mentioned "goals" and their happiness. "Though it is generally assumed that you need goals to lead a happy life, evidence is mixed.

The reason seems to be that unhappy people are more aware of their goals, because they seek to change their life for the better." Although there is some positive correlation between seeing meaning in life and being happy, studies suggest this is not a necessary condition for happiness. In fact, studies suggest leading an active life has the

strongest correlation with happiness. "In order to lead a happy life, a rewarding life, you need to be active," says Veenhoven. "So involvement is more important to happiness than knowing the why, why we are here. Research has shown that we can make ourselves happier because happiness does change over time and these changes are not just a matter of better circumstances but of better dealing with life. Elderly people tend to be wiser, and for that reason, happier." Studies collated by the database say you tend to be happier if you: *Are in a long-term relationship *Are actively engaged in politics *Are active in work and in your free time * Go out for dinner * Have close friendships.

page 11

Voyager 1 Leaves Solar System

Nasa scientists say they believe the spacecraft has now reached interstellar space, beyond the influence of the sun Carrying the images, sounds and technology of the 1970s, the space probe Voyager 1 has left our solar system and begun a journey that will take it to interstellar space and possibly other life forms.

Equipped with an eight-track tape recorder, computers with 240,000 times less memory than an iPhone and three nuclear batteries, the probe is moving at 11 miles per second. It is the first manmade object to leave the solar system, but it will remain in communication with Earth until at least 2025.

Ed Stone, the mission's chief scientist at Nasa's jet propulsion laboratory, was jubilant. "It's a milestone and the beginning of a new journey," he said.

Nasa's announcement came after scientists examined data and found that the probe had left the solar system and entered interstellar space. It is now 11,625 million miles from Earth, a fraction of its possible journey.

"Now that we have new, key data, we believe this is mankind's historic leap into interstellar space," said Stone, "The Voyager team needed time to

analyse those observations and make sense of them. But we can now answer the question we've all been asking: 'Are we there yet?' Yes, we are."

Even after it loses contact with Earth, Voyager will carry evidence of what humanity looked like in 1977. It carries a gold-plated copper disc with sounds, images and data from that year which scientists hope intelligent life forms will be able to access.

If they succeed, they will uncover 116 images and natural sounds, including surf, wind, thunder and the songs of birds and whales as well as greetings in 56 languages and printed messages from US president Jimmy Carter and then UN secretary general Kurt Waldheim. Music on the disc includes Beethoven, Mozart, Blind Willie Johnson and Chuck Berry.

On the disc, Carter says: "This is a present from a small, distant world, a token of our sounds, our science, our images, our music, our thoughts and our feelings. We are attempting to survive our time so we may live into yours."

Voyager 1 and its twin, Voyager 2,

were launched in 1977 on a tour of the solar system. After beaming back images of Jupiter's giant red spot and Saturn's shimmering rings, Voyager 2 moved to Uranus and Neptune. Voyager 1 used Saturn as a gravitational slingshot to power past Pluto.

Last year, scientists monitoring Voyager 1, which is the size of a small car, discovered that it was no longer picking up charged particles which emanate from the sun, suggesting it had left the solar system. At the same time, there was an increase in cosmic rays coming from outside the solar system.

The scientists could not detect a change in the direction of the magnetic field lines, so assumed Voyager was still in the heliosphere, the bubble of sun-charged particles which surrounds the solar system.

The Voyager team waited for a change in magnetic field direction which they thought would signify departure from the solar system. But a solar eruption caused the space around Voyager 1 to echo like a bell last spring.

This additional information convinced

scientists the boundary was crossed in August last year.

Don Gurnett, a Voyager scientist at the University of Iowa said: "We literally jumped out of our seats when we saw these oscillations in our data – they showed us the spacecraft was in an entirely new region, comparable to what was expected in interstellar space, and totally different than in the solar bubble.

"Clearly we had passed through the heliopause, which is the long-hypothesised boundary between the solar plasma and the interstellar plasma."

Not everyone is convinced that the boundary has been crossed. "It's premature to judge," said Lennard Fisk, a space science professor at the University of Michigan who is concerned about the absence of a change in the magnetic field direction. "Can we wait a little while longer? Maybe this picture will clear up the farther we go."

Harvard astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell was more blunt: "I'm actually not going to believe it for another year or two until it's been solidly outside for a while."

Voyager 2 trails behind at 9.5bn miles from the sun. It may be another three years before it joins its twin on the other side. Eventually, the Voyagers will run out of nuclear fuel and will have to power down their instruments, perhaps by 2025.

Although its instruments will be dead, it will continue to travel through space. In about 40,000 years' time, both Voyagers will approach stars for the first time. Voyager 1 will be within 1.6 lightyears of the star Gliese 445, currently in the constellation Camelopardalis and Voyager 2 will have approach Ross 248, located in the constellation of Andromeda. Scientists believe it is unlikely either star can support life in their systems.

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page 12

Inspiring News Stories "Life is made of moments". "Choose to create and collect the happy ones."

Okla. teen acts to right his father's wrong Source: CBS News

Seventy-eight-year-old Tona Herndon of Bethany, Okla., was vulnerable in every way. Her husband of 60 years had died just two weeks earlier. Her eyes were so clouded with grief, she never saw it coming. She was mugged as she visited her husband's grave.

The mugger got away with her purse and $700, but not for long.

Police caught him, and the news put his mug shot on TV. Fifteenyear-old Christian Lunsford says the first time he saw the picture, he ... had no doubt that it was his dad. Christian says his parents divorced when he was two, and his dad has been mostly absent ever since. Last time he heard from him was a few weeks ago. His dad gave him $250 for a band trip Christian really wants to go on.

Christian says his dad has been in and out of jail more than half a dozen times. "There's times that you just feel really low, like, 'Is that going to be me?'" he says. "'Am I going to end up like that?'"

Which is why, after Christian heard about his dad's latest crime, he reached out to the victim and asked to meet her. Christian says he just had to tell her he was sorry about what happened. And Christian was just getting started. "He gave me $250 for my band trip, but I'm not sure if it was yours or however he got it, but I'd feel bad if I didn't give it to you," he told Tona. "I accepted the money back," Tona says. "And it was mine to do with what I wanted." "I want you to take your band trip," Tona told Christian.

She gave it all back to him for his band trip. "I feel more like my life still has a purpose," Tona says. "You're not who your parents are," Christian says. "Even if they do raise you, you can become whatever you want to be."

Pet dog Charlie 'can predict toddler's epileptic ďŹ t' Source: BBC News

An Irish family has said their pet dog is helping to protect their three-year-old daughter by warning them when she is about to have an epileptic seizure. The Lynch family, from County Clare, believe

their Great Dane, Charlie, can sense changes in their child up to 20 minutes before she has a fit. Brianna Lynch has epilepsy since birth. Her family said Charlie will alert them by walking in circles around Brianna. He also gently pins her against a wall to stop her from falling during a fit. Brianna's condition can lead to traumatic seizures, some of which cause her to go into a trance-like state, while others cause violent convulsions during which she is at risk of falling and hitting her head. Brianna's mother, Arabella Scanlan, said Charlie is not a trained "seizure alert dog" but was just a normal, family pet who appears to have developed some kind of special skill through his own instincts.

They first noticed it some time ago when the huge Great Dane began to get agitated and walk in circles around Brianna. Minutes

Dairy Queen worker's intervention nets royal treatment Source: USA Today A Dairy Queen manager who came to the aid of a visually impaired customer is receiving Internet and social media praise for his heroic actions. Joey Prusak said, that one of his regular cus-

tomers came in to order a sundae. While paying, the visually impaired man dropped some of his money on the floor. "Right then and there I knew when he dropped that $20 bill, game's over, he's not going to know," explained Prusak. "He just kept walking and that's when the lady picked it up and I thought, she's going to give it back 'cause she picked it up so quickly." Prusak then watched as the woman her put the money in her purse. Initially he didn't know what to say, but when the woman reached the counter to place her order Prusak confronted her. He says they went back and forth a bit: She claimed the money was hers. "I said, ma'am I'm not going to serve someone as disrespectful as you, so you can either return the $20 bill and I'll serve you, or you can leave," said Prusak. "And she goes, 'Well it's my 20-dollar bill,' and I go, well then you can leave." The woman left, but was clearly not happy. Prusak ultimately gave the customer who dropped the money $20 of his own money. Other customers saw what happened and one of them emailed Dairy Queen. The email was forwarded to the store's owner, who posted it on a board in the shop. A co-worker was impressed by what happened and posted the message on Facebook, where others found it and shared it. "People started sharing it, pretty soon it's on Reddit," Prusak said. "It's one of the top things on Reddit and all of a sudden it's gone viral."

The Billionaire Who Is Trying To Go Broke later the toddler had an epileptic fit. "Charlie will know about 15 to 20 minutes before she's going into seizure. He'll get ever so panicky and giddy, almost as if you'd think 'this stupid dog is going to knock her over'. But he has never once knocked her over.

We kept an eye on this and, sure enough, I went into the yard one day and she (Brianna) was buckled over to the side, on top of him (Charlie). She was actually having a seizure. He stayed with her, he didn't move."

Ms Scanlan said that since then, the dog rarely leaves Brianna's side and will gently pin her up against a wall or other surface if he senses she is about to fit. He will guard the child until help arrives.

Chuck Feeney is the James Bond of philanthropy. Over the last 30 years he’s crisscrossed the globe conducting a clandestine operation to give away a $7.5 billion fortune derived from hawking cognac, perfume and cigarettes in his empire of duty-free shops.

His foundation, the Atlantic Philanthropies, has funneled $6.2 billion into education, science, health care, aging and civil rights in the U.S., Australia, Vietnam, Bermuda, South Africa and Ireland.

Few living people have given away more, and no one at his wealth level has ever given their fortune away so completely during their lifetime. The remaining $1.3 billion will be spent by 2016, and the foundation will be shuttered in 2020. While the business world’s

page 13 titans obsess over piling up as many riches as possible, Feeney is working double time to die broke.

Feeney embarked on this mission in 1984, in the middle of a decade marked by wealth creation–and conspicuous consumption– when he slyly transferred his entire 38.75% ownership stake in Duty Free Shoppers to what became the Atlantic Philanthropies.

“I concluded that if you hung on to a piece of the action for yourself you’d always be worrying about that piece,” says Feeney, who estimates his current net worth at $2 million (with an “m”). “People used to ask me how I got my jollies, and I guess I’m happy when what I’m doing is helping people and unhappy when what I’m doing isn’t helping people.” He’s not waiting to grant gifts after he’s gone nor to set up a legacy fund that annually tosses pennies at a $10 problem. He hunts for causes where he can have dramatic impact and goes all-in.

A Universe Full of Planets Source: New York Times

Using techniques of exquisite sensitivity and technological finesse, astronomers have spent the past two decades on an astonishing voyage of cosmic discovery. They have found that the

universe is full of planets: cold, small, and dark next to their large and glaring suns, these worlds have previously been hidden from us. To spot them represents a challenge that has been compared to looking across thousands of miles to see a firefly buzzing around a brilliant searchlight. They exert a gravitational pull, tugging their parent stars into a gently wobbling motion that we can now detect.

We now have firm evidence for thousands of planets, around thousands of stars. We also know something about these worlds, their sizes, their orbits, often their ages. In a handful of cases ... we have even measured the temperature of their upper atmospheres and [determined] their gaseous chemistry, finding substances like sodium, methane and water. No matter how conservative or optimistic we are, the statistics tell us that something like an astonishing one out of every seven stars must harbor a planet similar in size to the Earth, and at roughly the right orbital distance to allow for the possibility of a temperate surface environment. In other words, roughly 15 percent of all suns could, in principle, be hosting a place suitable for life as we know it. Since our galaxy contains at least 200 billion stars, this implies a vast arena for the universe’s ubiquitous carbon chemistry to play in — a process that, as here on Earth, might lead to the complex machinery of life. Indeed, there is a 95-percent confidence — give or take a few percent — that one of these worlds could be within a mere 16 light years of us.

Bhutan set to plough lone furrow as world's first wholly organic country Source: The Guardian Bhutan plans to become the first country in the world to turn its agriculture completely organic, banning the sales of pesticides and herbicides and relying on its own animals and farm waste for fertilisers. But rather than accept that this will mean farmers of the small Himalayan kingdom of around 1.2m people ... will be able to grow less food, the government expects them to be able to grow more – and to export increasing amounts of high quality niche foods to neighbouring India, China and other countries. The decision to go organic was both practical and philosophical, said Pema Gyamtsho, Bhutan's minister of agriculture and forests. "Ours is a mountainous terrain. When we use chemicals they don't stay where we use them, they impact the water and plants. We say that we need to consider all the environment. Most of our farm practices

are traditional farming, so we are largely organic anyway. But we are Buddhists, too, and we believe in living in harmony with nature. Animals have the right to live, we like to to see plants happy and insects happy," he said. Gyamtsho, like most members of the cabinet, is a farmer himself, coming from Bumthang in central

continued on page 21

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The Neuroscience of Why Gratitude Makes Us Healthier

Gratitude ... makes you happier and healthier. If you can find any authentic reason to give thanks, anything that is going right with the world or your life, and put your attention there, then statistics say you're going to be better off.

Does this mean to live in a state of constant denial and put your head in the sand? Of course not. Gratitude works when you're grateful for something real.

What are you actually grateful for? It's a question that could change your life. Recent studies have concluded that the expression of gratitude can have profound and positive effects on our health, our moods and even the survival of our marriages. Dr. John Gottman at the University of Washington has been researching marriages for two decades. The conclusion of all that research, he states, is that unless a couple is able to maintain a high ratio of positive to

negative encounters (5:1 or greater), it is likely the marriage will end. With 90 percent accuracy, Gottman says he can predict, often after only three minutes of observation, which mar-

itive ones (smiles, compliments, laughter, expressions of appreciation and grati-

g, g, givin n i r a c , sion f the compas ... just some o , s s e n ind y ..

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Inspiring Story Reveals True Meaning of Christmas Dear friends, The short Christmas story below was originally published in the December 14, 1982 issue of Woman's Day magazine. May this inspiring story remind us all of the true meaning of Christmas and giving during the holidays and throughout the year.

With heartfelt love and best wishes for a wonderful Christmas, Nancy W. Gavin

The Man Who Hated Christmas It's just a small, white envelope stuck among the branches of our Christmas tree. No name, no identification, no inscription. It has peeked through the branches of our tree for the past ten years.

It all began because my husband Mike hated Christmas. Oh, not the true meaning of Christmas, but the commercial aspects of it – overspending and the frantic running around at the last minute to get a tie for Uncle Harry and the dusting powder for Grandma – the gifts given in desperation because you couldn't think of anything else.

Knowing he felt this way, I decided one year to bypass the usual shirts, sweaters, ties and so forth. I reached for something special just for Mike. The inspiration came in an unusual way.

Our son Kevin, who was 12 that year, was on the wrestling team at the school he attended. Shortly before Christmas, there was a nonleague match against a team sponsored by an inner-city church.

These youngsters, dressed in sneakers so ragged that shoestrings seemed to be the only thing holding them together, presented a sharp contrast to our boys

in their spiffy blue and gold uniforms and sparkling new wrestling shoes.

As the match began, I was alarmed to see that the other team was wrestling without headgear, a kind of light helmet designed to protect a wrestler's ears. It was a luxury the ragtag team obviously could not afford.

Well, we ended up walloping them. We took every weight class. Mike, seated beside me, shook his head sadly, "I wish just one of them could have won," he said. "They have a lot of potential, but losing like this could take the heart right out of them." Mike loved kids – all kids. He so enjoyed coaching little league football, baseball and lacrosse. That's when the idea for his present came.

That afternoon, I went to a local sporting goods store and bought an assortment of wrestling headgear and shoes, and sent them anonymously to the innercity church. On Christmas Eve, I placed a small, white envelope on the tree, the note inside telling Mike what I had done, and that this was his gift from me.

Mike's smile was the brightest thing about Christmas that year. And that same bright smile lit up succeeding years. For each Christmas, I followed the tradition – one year sending a group of mentally handicapped youngsters to a hockey game, another year a check to a pair of elderly brothers whose home had burned to the ground the week before Christmas, and on and on.

The white envelope became the highlight of our Christmas. It was always the last thing opened on Christmas morning, and our children – ignoring their new toys – would stand with wide-eyed anticipation as their dad lifted the envelope from the

tree to reveal its contents. As the children grew, the toys gave way to more practical presents, but the small, white envelope never lost its allure.

The story doesn't end there. You see, we lost Mike last year due to dreaded cancer. When Christmas rolled around, I was still so wrapped in grief that I barely got the tree up. But Christmas Eve found me placing an envelope on the tree. And the next morning, I found it was magically joined by three more. Unbeknownst to the others, each of our three children had for the first time placed a white envelope on the tree for their dad. The tradition has grown and someday will expand even further with our grandchildren standing to take down that special envelope.

Mike's spirit, like the Christmas spirit will always be with us.

The Gold Wrapping Paper Whether or not the following short, inspiring Christmas story is true, it is a wonderfully inspiring story for people of any faith.

In this season of love, may we all remember the beautiful love of a small child.

Once upon a time, there was a man who worked very hard just to keep food on the table for his family. This particular year a few days before Christmas, he punished his little five-year-old daughter after learning that she had used up the family's only roll of expensive gold wrapping paper.

As money was tight, he became even more upset when on Christmas Eve he saw that the child had used all of the expensive gold paper to decorate one shoebox she had put under the Christmas tree. He also was concerned about where she had gotten the money to buy what was in the shoebox.

Nevertheless, the next morning the little girl, filled with excitement, brought the gift box to her father and said, "This is for you, Daddy!"

As he opened the box, the father was embarrassed by his earlier overreaction, now regretting how he had punished her.

But when he opened the shoebox, he found it was empty and again his anger flared. "Don't you know, young lady," he said

page 19 harshly, "when you give someone a present, there's supposed to be something inside the package!"

The little girl looked up at him with sad tears rolling from her eyes and whispered: "Daddy, it's not empty. I blew kisses into it until it was all full."

The father was crushed. He fell on his knees and put his arms around his precious little girl. He begged her to forgive him for his unnecessary anger.

An accident took the life of the child only a short time later. It is told that the father kept this little gold box by his bed for all the years of his life. Whenever he was discouraged or faced difficult problems, he would open the box, take out an imaginary kiss, and remember the love of this beautiful child who had put it there.

In a very real sense, each of us has been given an invisible golden box filled with unconditional love and kisses from our children, family and friends. There is no more precious possession anyone could hold.

On Santa's Team My grandma taught me everything about Christmas. I was just a kid. I remember tearing across town on my bike to visit her on the day my big sister dropped the bomb: "There is no Santa Claus," jeered my sister. "Even dummies know that!"

My grandma was not the gushy kind, never had been. I fled to her that day because I knew she would be straight with me. I knew Grandma always told the truth, and I knew that the truth always went down a whole lot easier when swallowed with one of her world-famous cinnamon buns.

Grandma was home, and the buns were still warm. Between bites, I told her everything. She was ready for me.

"No Santa Claus!" she snorted.

"Ridiculous! Don't believe it.

That rumor has been going around for years, and it makes me mad, plain mad. Now, put on your coat, and let's go."

"Go? Go where, Grandma?" I asked. I hadn't even finished my second cinnamon bun.

"Where" turned out to be Kerby's General Store, the one store in town that had a little bit of just about everything. As we walked through its doors, Grandma handed me ten dollars. That was a bundle in those days.

"Take this money," she said, "and buy something for someone who needs it. I'll wait for you in the car." Then she turned and walked out of Kerby's.

I was only eight years old. I'd often gone shopping with my mother, but never had I shopped for anything all by myself. The store seemed big and crowded, full of people scrambling to finish their Christmas shopping. For a few moments I just stood there, confused, clutching that ten-dollar bill, wondering what to buy, and who on earth to buy it for. I thought of everybody I knew: my family, my friends, my neighbors, the kids at school, the people who went to my church.

I was just about thought out, when I suddenly thought of Bobbie Decker. He was a kid with bad breath and messy hair, and he sat right behind me in Mrs. Pollock's grade-two class. Bobbie Decker didn't have a coat. I knew that because he never went out for recess during the winter. His mother always wrote a note, telling the teacher that he had a cough; but all we kids knew that Bobbie Decker didn't have a cough, and he didn't have a coat.

I fingered the ten-dollar bill with growing excitement. I would buy Bobbie Decker a coat. I settled on a red corduroy one that had a hood to it. It looked real warm, and he would like that. I didn't see a price tag, but ten dollars ought to buy anything. I put the coat and my ten-dollar bill on the counter and pushed them toward the lady behind it.

She looked at the coat, the money, and me. "Is this a Christmas present for someone?" she asked kindly. "Yes," I replied shyly.

"It's ... for Bobbie. He's in my class, and he doesn't have a coat."

The nice lady smiled at me. I didn't get any change, but she put the coat in a bag and wished me a Merry Christmas.

That evening, Grandma helped me wrap the coat in Christmas paper and ribbons, and write, "To Bobbie, From Santa Claus" on it ... Grandma said that Santa always insisted on secrecy.

Then she drove me over to Bobbie Decker's house, explaining as we went that I was now and forever officially one of Santa's helpers. Grandma parked down the street from Bobbie's house, and she and I crept noiselessly and hid in the bushes by his front walk.

Suddenly, Grandma gave me a nudge. "All right, Santa Claus," she whispered, "get going."

I took a deep breath, dashed for his front door, threw the present down on his step, pounded his doorbell twice and flew back to the safety of the bushes and Grandma. Together we waited breathlessly in the darkness for the front door to open. Finally it did, and there stood Bobbie. He looked down, looked around, picked up his present, took it inside and closed the door.

Forty years haven't dimmed the thrill of those moments spent shivering, beside my grandma, in Bobbie Decker's bushes. That night, I realized that those awful rumors about Santa Claus were just what Grandma said they were: Ridiculous!

Santa was alive and well ... AND WE WERE ON HIS TEAM!

continued on page 20

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continued from page 19

Breakfast at McDonald's Received by e-mail from Elizabeth Shafransky, Winnipeg, MB This is a true story, please read it!

I am a mother of three (ages 14, 12, and 3) and have recently completed my college degree. The last class I had to take was Sociology. The teacher was absolutely inspiring with the qualities that I wish every human being had been graced with. Her last project of the term was called, "Smile." The class was asked to go out and smile at three people and document their reactions. I am a very friendly person and always smile at everyone and say hello anyway. So, I thought this would be a piece of cake, literally. Soon after we were assigned the project, my husband, youngest son, and I went out to McDonald's one crisp December morning. It was just our way of sharing special playtime with our son. We were standing in line, waiting to be served, when all of a sudden everyone around us began to back away, and then even my husband did. I did not move an inch... an overwhelming feeling of panic welled up inside of me as I turned to see why they had moved. As I turned around I smelled a horrible "dirty body" smell, and there standing behind me were two poor homeless men. As I looked down at the short gentleman, close to me, he was "smiling". His beautiful sky blue eyes were full of light as he searched for acceptance. He said, "Good day" as he counted the few coins he had been clutching. The second man fumbled with his hands as he stood behind his friend. I realized the second man was mentally challenged and the blue-eyed gentleman was his salvation. I held my tears as I stood there with them. The young lady at the counter asked him what they wanted. He said, "Coffee is all Miss" because that was all they could afford. (If they wanted to sit in the restaurant and warm up, they had to buy something. He just wanted to be warm). Then I really felt it - the compulsion was so great I almost reached out and embraced the little man with the blue eyes. That is when I noticed all eyes in the restaurant were set on me, judging my every action. I smiled and asked the young lady behind the counter to give me two more breakfast meals on a separate tray. I then walked around the corner to the table that the men had chosen as a resting spot. I put the tray on the table and laid my hand on the blue-eyed gentleman's cold hand. He looked up at me, with tears in his eyes, and said, "Thank you." I leaned over, began to pat

his hand and said, "God is here working through me to give you hope." I started to cry as I walked away to join my husband and son. When I sat down my husband smiled at me and said, "That is why God gave you to me, Honey, to give me hope. We held hands for a moment and at that time, we knew that only because of the Grace that we had been given were we able to give. We are not church goers, but we are believers. I returned to college, on the last evening of class, with this story in hand. I turned in "my project" and the instructor read it. Then she looked up at me and said, "Can I share this?" I slowly nodded as she got the attention of the class. She began to read and that is when I knew that we as human beings need to help other people and to be helped by others when needed. In my own way I had touched the people at McDonald's, my son, instructor, and every soul

that shared the classroom on the last night I spent as a college student. I graduated with one of the biggest lessons I would ever learn: UNCONDITIONAL ACCEPTANCE. Much love and compassion is sent to each and every person who may read this and learn how to LOVE PEOPLE AND USE THINGS - NOT LOVE THINGS AND USE PEOPLE. Many people will walk in and out of your life, but only true friends will leave footprints in your heart. To handle yourself, use your head. To handle others, use your heart.

Elizabeth Shafransky

...on Portage Avenue Written by Winnipeg Hospice Physician: I was driving home from a meeting about 5pm, and got stuck in traffic on Portage Ave., and the car started to choke and splutter and die - I barely managed to coast, cursing, into a gas station, glad only that I would not be blocking traffic and would have a somewhat warm spot to wait for the tow truck. It wouldn't even turn over. Before I could make the call, I saw a woman walking out of the Petro Canada convenience store, and it looked like she slipped on some ice and fell into a gas pump, so I got out to see if she was okay. When I got there, it looked more like she had been overcome by sobs than that she had fallen; she was a young woman who looked really haggard with dark circles under her eyes. She dropped something as I helped her up, and I picked it up to give it to her. It was a nickel. At that moment, everything came into focus for me: the crying woman, the ancient Suburban crammed full of stuff with 3 kids in the back (1 in a car seat), and the gas pump reading $4.95. I asked her if she was okay and if she needed help, and she just kept saying ' don't want my kids to see me crying,' so we stood on the other side of the pump from her car. She said she was driving to Ontario and that things were very hard for her right now. So I asked, 'And you were praying?' That made her back a away from me a little, but I assured her I was not a crazy person and said, 'He heard you, and He sent me.' I took out my card and swiped it through the card reader on the pump so she could fill up her vehicle completely, and while it was fueling, I walked to the next door McDonald's and bought 2 big bags of food, some gift certificates for more, and a big cup of coffee. She gave the food to the kids in the car, who attacked it like wolves, and we stood by the pump eating fries and talking a little. She told me her name, and that she lived in Winnipeg. Her boyfriend left 2 months ago and she had not been able to make ends meet. She knew she wouldn't have money to pay rent Jan. 1, and finally in desperation had called her parents, with whom she had not spoken in about 5 years. They lived in Kenora, Ontario, and said she could come live with them and try to get on her feet there. So she packed up everything she owned in the car. She told the kids they were going to Ontario for Christmas, but not that they were going to live there. I gave her my gloves and a little hug, and said Good Luck. As I was walking over to my car, she said, 'So, are you like an angel or something?' This definitely made me cry. I said, 'Sweetie, at this time of year angels are really busy, so sometimes God uses regular people.' It was so incredible to be a part of someone else's miracle. And of course, you guessed it, when I got in my car it started right away and got me home with no problem. I'll put it in the shop to check, but I suspect the mechanic won't find anything wrong. Sometimes the angels fly close enough to you that you can hear the flutter of their wings...

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continued from page 13 Bhutan but studying western farming methods in New Zealand and Switzerland. "Going organic will take time," he said. "We have set no deadline. We cannot do it tomorrow. Instead we will achieve it region by region and crop by crop."

Gyamtsho says Bhutan's future depends largely on how it responds to interlinked development challenges like climate change, and food and energy security.

Solar Impulse aims to push innovation on the ground Source: CBS News Hangar 19 at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport is host to one unique airplane: the Solar Impulse. The sun-powered plane made history by becoming the first aircraft to fly across America day and night without fuel. The Solar Impulse finished its two-month journey from NASA's Moffett Field in Mountain

New study of tribal societies reveals conflict is an alien concept Source: The Independent Is it natural for humans to make war? Is organised violence between rival political groups an inevitable outcome of the human condition? New research suggests not. A study of tribal societies that live by hunting and foraging has found that war is an alien concept and not, as some academics have suggested, an innate feature of so-called “primitive people”.

Douglas Fry and Patrik Söderberg of Abo Akademi University in Vasa, Finland, studied 148 violently lethal incidents documented by anthropologists working among 21 mobile bands of huntergatherer societies, which some scholars have suggested as a tem-

plate for studying how humans lived for more than 99.9 per cent of human history, before the invention of agriculture about 10,000 years ago. They found that only a tiny minority of violent deaths come close to being defined as acts of war. Most the violence was perpetrated by one individual against another and usually involved personal grudges involving women or stealing. Only a tiny minority of cases involved more organised killing between rival bands of people, which could fall into the definition of war-like behaviour. Most of these involved only one of the 21 groups included in the study. In short they found that some of the most “primitive” peoples on Earth were actually quite peaceful compared to modern, developed nations. “These findings imply that warfare was probably not very common before the advent of agriculture, when most if not all humans lived as nomadic foragers.”

View, Calif. to JFK airport on July 6, where it is currently parked.

The aircraft is powered by 11,628 solar cells, has an average flying speed of about 43 miles (70 kilometers) per hour and its maximum altitude is about 27,900 feet. Although its wingspan rivals a 747, the actual body of the plane is a lot smaller, with a cockpit that can only fit one person. The groundbreaking trip may seem too slow to be practical, but chairman and pilot Bertrand Piccard thinks there is a bigger picture behind the project. "We believe if we can demonstrate this in the air, where it is the most difficult to do, people will understand that they can also use the same technologies for their daily lives," Piccard said. Piccard shared piloting the plane with the company's co-founder and CEO Andre Borschberg. The two flew in 24-hour shifts across America, and made stopovers in Phoenix, Dallas-Fort Worth, St. Louis, Cincinnati and Dulles.

Some of the key advances used on the Solar Impulse include carbon fiber sheets that weigh 0.8 ounces per 11 square feet, solar cells that are about the thickness of a human hair and batteries with a high energy density. While the technologies are impressive, the creators emphasize that they didn't re-invent the wheel. They believe that pieces of the puzzle already exist, but needs to be put together in a different way.

Food best source of vitamins, study finds About half of all Americans take a daily multivitamin as a way to improve their health and cut their risk of diseases. But experts now say that - in almost all cases - the best way to get a full dose of vitamins is from nutritious foods rather than from pills. There is a lot of scientific evidence showing diets rich in produce, nuts, whole grains and fish promote health and decrease risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes and cancer, according to a new "Vitamins and Minerals" report from Harvard Medical School. On the other hand, studies involving vitamin supplements - and there have been many - show mixed results. In fact, after reviewing a large body of research in 2006, the National Institutes of Health decided not to definitively rule for or against multivitamins' ability to prevent

diseases. So what are the quickest ways to boost the vitamin content in your meals? The report identifies about three dozen foods that have the most nutrients per calorie, including avocados, berries, cantaloupe, dark leafy greens, eggs, yogurt, lentils, beans, almonds, fish, chicken and turkey. And although most people think of citrus as the best source of vitamin C, a red pepper has twice as much as an orange. Similarly, potatoes and white beans have more potassium than bananas. The final advice from Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, the report's editor: "Spend your time and money improving your diet, which is far more likely to pay off in the long run than popping a pill."

Selfish traits not favoured by evolution, study shows Source: BBC News Evolution does not favour selfish people, according to new research. This challenges a previous theory which suggested it was preferable to put yourself first. Instead, it pays to be co-operative, shown in a model of "the prisoner's dilemma", a scenario of game theory - the study of strategic decision-making. Published in Nature Communications, the team says their work shows that exhibiting only selfish traits would have made us become extinct. The eminent mathematician John Nash showed that the optimum strategy was not to co-operate in the prisoner's dilemma game. "For many years, people have asked that if he [Nash] is right, then why do we see cooperation in the animal kingdom, in the microbial world and in humans," said lead author Christoph Adami of Michigan State University. The answer, he explained, was that communication was not previously taken into account. Prof Andrew Coleman from Leicester University explains that this new work suggests that co-

continued on page 27

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The Laser Beam 1,000 Times as Powerful as the U.S. For all the heady talk about the misleadingly “deific,” recently confirmed quantum specks named after a Scottish physicist, another kind of historic event has transpired: in a shot fired on July 5, a record-shattering laser beam generated more power than the U.S. does at any single instant.

Spooky or astonishing? How about both. Think of it as extreme sports science, a kind of lab-based game of one-upmanship in which researchers fiddle with incredibly complex, painstakingly calibrated machinery to produce unprecedented results — then outdo them. That’s what the National Ignition Facility — home to the world’s largest laser — did when it pulled the trigger on 192 beams of optically amplified, electromagneticradiation-emitting light, all fired within a few trillionths of a second of one another, to deliver 500 trillion watts (or terawatts) of “peak power” and 1.85 megajoules of ultraviolet laser light.

Framed in more eye-catching terms, the NIF says 500 terawatts outpaces the entire U.S. for power used “at any instant in time” and that 1.85 megajoules amounts to roughly 100 times what any other laser produces regularly. No wonder those two power-unit prefixes (tera- and mega-) come from Greek words meaning monster and great.

Then again, what else would you expect from a laser housed in a building the size of three football fields, or a science lab with a word like ignition in its moniker?

The NIF, located in Livermore, Calif., came online in March 2009, and its goals are manifold: its primary mission, with funding by the National Nuclear Security Administration (“a semi-autonomous agency within the U.S. Department of Energy responsible for enhancing national security through the application of nuclear science to the nation’s national security enterprise”), is to duplicate what happens in contemporary nuclear weapons, in part to render underground nuclear testing unnecessary.

But it’s also a repository for scientists — the same sort who poke around at sub-subatomic levels for elemental quantum particles — looking to understand “extreme states of matter that exist

page 23 since March 15, when the NIF fired a shot that delivered 1.8 megajoules and peak power of 411 terawatts.

And while electricity produced by sustained, controlled fusion reactions may not be commercially viable, well, ever, depending on who you talk to — some say 30 to 40 years; others say indefinitely, given the technical challenges of putting star stuff in a container — the July 5 laser shot appears to be a major step forward.

“NIF is becoming everything scientists planned when it was conceived over two decades ago,” said NIF director Edward Moses of the July 5 shot. In January 2012, Moses predicted that fusion ignition would happen “in the next 6 to 18 months.”

We’re getting close, in other words, to what you might call “the end of the beginning” of the very long and expensive road — an experimental international fusion reactor being built in France is said to cost nearly $20 billion — to theoretically limitless energy generation.

in the centers of planets, stars and other celestial objects.”

And last but not least — well, beyond the holster-loaded conventions of mere pulp sci-fi skirmishing — the NIF laser is about puzzling out something called fusion ignition, the point at which nuclear-fusion reactions become self-sustaining, to “provide abundant and sustainable clean energy,” according to the NIF. Fusion reaction is perhaps the most exciting of the NIF’s goals: to catalyze self-sustaining nuclear fusion, wherein two light atomic nuclei “fuse” together and produce a single heavier nucleus while converting some of that mass to incredible amounts of energy.

That, in so many words, is how stars are born, and it’s something scientists have been working to achieve since the 1950s.

The 500-terawatt shot on July 5 brings scientists closer to solving a long-standing physics challenge and perhaps the field’s holy grail: getting back more energy than you give.

“The 500 TW shot is an extraordinary accomplishment by the NIF Team, creating unprecedented conditions in the laboratory that hitherto only existed deep in stellar interiors,” said MIT physicist Richard Petrasso in a statement on the NIF’s site. “For scientists across the nation and the world who, like ourselves, are actively pursuing fundamental science under extreme conditions and the goal of laboratory fusion ignition, this is a remarkable and exciting achievement.”

The July 5 shot was actually the NIF’s third in a series of testfires, a series that’s seen power ramped up by nearly 100 terawatts

page 24

Montreal Mafia figure killed in Acapulco Wealthy Montreal baker Moreno Gallo fled Canada’s ongoing Mafia wars, only to be slain by a gunman dressed in black in front of a crowd of witnesses at an Acapulco pizzeria.

Moreno Gallo left Canada almost two years ago, it was an open secret that his life was in danger. Some members of the underworld were calling him "Turkey," a sign of obvious disrespect. He settled in Acapulco, Mexico, where a friend ran a hotel.

Moreno Gallo was gunned down at an Italian restaurant in Mexican coastal city of Acapulco.

Men dressed in black entered the restaurant and shot Gallo multiple times execution style according to Mexican officials. Gallo once considered an Allie of the Rizzuto crime family had fallen out of favor with the clan following the death of patriarch Nicolo Rizzuto. It is believed that Gallo sided with fellow mobster Joseph Di Maulo who was murdered last November in an attempt to wrestle control of the Montreal underworld from the Rizzuto family.

The alliance formed to take down the Rizzuto’s is believed to have also included former Bonanno family boss from New York Salvatore Montagna killed in 2011 and Montreal mobster Raynald Desjardins imprisoned for murder of Montagna. This break away faction from the Rizzuto family was believed to have been backed by the Ndrangheta or Calabrian Mafia. Before the take down of the Rizzuto’s could be completed the alliance of mobsters had an internal feud and turned on each other leading to death of Montagna.

Gallo’s murder comes on the third anniversary of the execution style killing of Nicolo Rizzuto and many believe this is no coincidence. Mob experts say the murder of Gallo is likely a message sent from Acapulco all the way back to Montreal by Montreal mafia boss Vito Rizzuto as he continues to strike back at his enemies.

Since his return back to Montreal after completion of his prison term in United States Vito Rizzuto seems to have taken back his leading role of the Rizzuto family and the Montreal Mafia. The bloody Montreal mafia war brought about from the failed attempt to overthrow the powerful Rizzuto family has lead to dozens of murders and it doesn’t seem to be over just yet. If Vito Rizzuto is behind this mob hit as well and continues to settle scores against those responsible for the strike against his mob clan and murders

Canadian

zuto Sr., was killed outside a Vaughan banquet hall in July. His murder remains unsolved, but sources say he bragged about killing the Rizzuto patriarch.

This isn’t the first time the Canadian Mafia war has apparently spilled over to another country. In April, former Mississauga resident Juan Ramon Fernandez, who was known in the GTA as Johnny Bravo, and his close friend Fernando Pimentel were murdered in Sicily.

Like Gallo, they had both been considered close to Rizzuto at one point but had fallen out of favour. La Presse noted that Gallo had been thought of as an arbitrator of sorts for a consortium of Mob bosses who tried to replace Vito Rizzuto.

Slaying of hitman and his friend has expert wondering if Montreal’s Mafia war is coming to Toronto Moreno Gallo - picture taken in Mexico few days before he was gunned down. of his father and son among other Rizzuto family members no one seems safe and out of his reach.

At the time of his death, Gallo was considered disloyal to Mafia boss Vito Rizzuto, who returned to Canada in October 2012 after serving five-and-a-half years in a Colorado prison for his role in three gangland slayings in Brooklyn in 1981.

Gallo was slain three years to the day after Rizzuto’s father, Nicolo Rizzuto Sr., was shot dead by a sniper in the kitchen of his mansion, in front of his wife and daughter.

Salvatore Calautti of the GTA, a suspect in the murder of Riz-

Salvatore (Sam) Calautti, 40, seldom travelled alone or without a gun — a sensible precaution for a man suspected in at least five unsolved gangland hits, including the slaying of Nicolo (Uncle Nick) Rizzuto Sr., father of Montreal Mafia boss Vito Rizzuto.

But neither his gun nor his associates saved the longtime GTA hitman Friday morning when he was shot dead in his BMW X6 after attending the stag of a local bookie at the Terrace Banquet Centre in Vaughan that was attended by 500 guests, 100 of whom were there at the time of the shooting.

His longtime associate, James Tusek, 35, was also slain.

The double gangland hits have investigators wondering if the Montreal Mafia wars have moved to Toronto. “It could be the beginning of a new front of struggle in the Montreal war,” said Antonio

page 25 Nicaso, an author and expert on international organized crime, who has lectured police forces in several countries. He noted that two men connected to the mob war were murdered in Sicily in April.

Vito Rizzuto’s underworld enemies in Ontario are believed to have conspired with some Montreal mobsters in a war in that city that led to the murder of Rizzuto’s father, eldest son, brother-in-law and several of his closest associates.

The Star has learned Calautti was investigated in the unsolved November 2010 murder of Rizzuto Sr., who was shot dead by a sniper while standing with his wife in the kitchen of his Montreal mansion. Police saw one of Calautti’s longtime associates in Montreal the day after the Nick Rizzuto Sr. murder: “You have to consider the presence of these people at the time of the murder,” a police investigator said.

Vito Rizzuto was released from a U.S. prison in October after serving almost six years for his role in the underworld executions of three Brooklyn mobsters in 1981. Immediately on his return to Canada, he is believed to have huddled with supporters in the GTA before returning to Montreal. Since his release, at least half a dozen of his enemies have been slain in Montreal and Sicily.

Calautti was believed to be a “made man” in the ‘Ndrangheta, or Calabrian Mafia. He was considered by police to be muscle for at least three local mob groups, including bitter enemies of Vito Rizzuto.

The police sources noted that there is extreme tension between Rizzuto’s crime group, which has Sicilian roots, and many GTA mobsters, whose roots are in the Calabrian ‘Ndrangheta.

The police source said he wondered if the killing was set up by someone Calautti trusted. He said he found it surprising that someone with the hitman’s street sense could be ambushed in his car: “It’s hard to think someone snuck up on him. Sam was the type of guy who always carried a gun.”

A short, squat man, Calautti commanded considerable fear in underworld circles because of his proclivity for violence.

“Sam was such a hothead,” one of the police sources said. “He had beefs with everybody.” It’s no surprise he met a violent end, he added. “It’s something that eventually was bound to happen.”

“He loved to do (debt) collections,” the source said. “Loved to beat people, always had a gun. Anything in the violent end of gangsterism is what he would do.”

This source added, “He always, always, always travelled with another organized crime figure.”

A bullet hole is seen on the passenger door of a car outside the Terrace Banquet Hall in Vaughan, where Salvatore Calautti and his friend James Tusek were gunned down.

Police were called to the Terrace Banquet Centre on Creditstone Rd. around 1 a.m. on Friday after shots were heard. They found one man dead in the parking lot. The second victim was taken to hospital where he died of his injuries, said York Regional Police Const. Blair McQuillan.

Even before the Nick Rizzuto Sr. murder, Calautti had long and often tense relations with the Montreal-based Rizzuto crime family.

Authorities say the Rizzuto group also has a strong and long-standing GTA presence.

Calautti was the prime suspect in Operation RIP, which investigated the 2000 slaying of Vito Rizzuto’s former right-hand man, Gaetano (Guy) Panepinto in Toronto in October 2000.

Calautti had been close friends with ‘Ndrangheta member

Domenic (Mico) Napoli, a mobster who was in conflict with Panepinto over gambling territory. Napoli and his associate Antonio Oppedisano disappeared and were believed murdered in early 2000.

Police investigated but couldn’t prove the theory that Panepinto cremated the bodies at his discount casket shop on St. Clair Ave. W. in Toronto.

Even though police didn’t prove their case, there were severe repercussions for the Napoli and Oppedisano murders. Oppedisano was the son of a major ‘Ndranghetta boss in Southern Italy. Not long after his disappearance, Calabrian mobsters visited Montreal and spoke to Rizzuto. Sources say that Rizzuto quickly distanced himself from Panepinto, saying he had nothing to do with the killings of Napoli and Oppedisano.

In October 2000, Panepinto was shot dead while driving his Cadillac in West Toronto. That murder was never solved.

The massive Montreal RCMP investigation dubbed Project Colisée found that in 2006 that Calautti ran up more than $200,000 in gambling debts to the Rizzuto crime family. After he refused to pay, that debt was believed to be assumed by a GTA mobster.

Other gambling debts run up by Calautti were considered the spark for the hostilities that led to the 2004 shooting of Louise Russo, an innocent victim in a North York sandwich shop, one of the police sources said.

Calautti owed roughly $200,000 to an online gambling operation with ties to the GTA mob and the London, Ont., Hells Angels.

When Calautti refused to pay, his sponsor, Sicilian mobster Michele (Mike) Modica, was stuck with the debt. A hit team was trying to kill Modica in the California Sandwich shop when gunmen missed and paralyzed Russo.

A father of three, Calautti ran a pizzeria and gelato shop on Dufferin St. On Friday, employees were packing up the patio as two homicide detectives arrived in an unmarked car. A man at the restaurant refused to speak to a reporter, saying only that the restaurant was closed.

When asked why, the man said because of “flooding.” Both new and regular customers who arrived on Friday were confronted with a hastily written “Closed due to flooding” sign taped on the window.

Former neighbours on Woodbridge’s Rota Cres. recalled Calautti and his estranged wife as a nice couple who helped build a fence in their backyard. Detectives arrived at 8 a.m. looking for his wife, the new owner said.

page 26

Dear with an arrow

Young deer that spent five days wandering about with an ARROW through its jaw finally has it removed after being captured and tranquilized by wildlife officials.

The 5-month-old deer photographed with an arrow through his head was finally captured. New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife Officials tranquilized the deer and successfully removed the arrow. They say the arrow didn't hit any vital arteries or organs and that the deer should be able to recover fine.

The 5-month-old male deer was first spotted with the arrow through his head on November 1 in the backyard of Susan Darrah's Rockaway Township home, but it wasn't until next Wednesday that Ms Darrah was able to get a picture of the deer and report him to wildlife officials.

And it was in that same backyard that officials caught the deer Saturday afternoon, as it returned to her garden to forage for food.

Out: Officials tranquilized the 5-month-old male deer when it wandered back into the Rockaway Township yard of Susan Darrah. After it fell asleep, they removed the arrow, which luckily hadn't damaged any vital arteries or organs.

Mr Darrah was instructed by the Division of Fish and Wildlife to leave corn in her garden to lure the deer back so they could remove the arrow.

Since Wednesday, officials have been staking out her home off and on, but it was Saturday afternoon that they finally caught the deer returning to the garden.

According to Department of Environmental Protection

spokesman Larry Hajna, the deer was tranquilized and they tracked him into the woods.

They brought the deer back to the garden where they were able to remove the arrow while the deer was asleep. He was treated with topical antibiotics and a shot of antibiotics and then they waited for him to wake up.

While the injury looked pretty painful, the biologists who removed the arrow say that it didn't damage any major arteries or organs and its outlook for survival is good.

After the deer woke up, officials witnessed it walk to a nearby pasture where it took a nap and then went back into the woods.

'I know a lot of hunters and I know that was nothing done intentionally,' Ms Darrah told her local paper. 'I'm sure if any hunter saw him, they would have been kind of enough to put him down.'

Her efforts to help the animal were applauded by her family and friends.

'Shocked': Susan Darrah took this pictures of the impaled deer a month ago in her New Jersey back yard.

Still alive: The young deer pictured before the arrow was removed.

Injured: The arrow head can be seen sticking out of the deer on the left.

Bow hunting for deer is legal in all 50 states, but ethical hunters aim for the body

page 27

continued from page 21

operation helps a group evolve. "The two prisoners that are interrogated are not allowed to talk to each other. If they did they would make a pact and be free within a month. But if they were not talking to each other, the temptation would

be to rat the other out. Being mean can give you an advantage on a short timescale but certainly not in the long run - you would go extinct." Crucially, in an evolutionary environment, knowing your opponent's decision would not be advantageous for long because your opponent would evolve the same recognition mechanism to also know you, Dr Adami explained. This is exactly what his team found, that any advantage from selfishness was short-lived.

'SelďŹ sh' people parked in snow zones anger Winnipegger A snow-clearing crew clears a street in Winnipeg's Fort Rouge neighbourhood on Wednesday, going around parked cars.

A Winnipeg man is angry his neighbours left cars on the street during snowcleaning operations, and upset the city didn't tow them away.

David Spigleman, who is on crutches because of a knee injury, said he now faces a difficult time getting over snow ridges left behind when graders were

forced to go around parked cars.

On Tuesday, he moved his car before his street's parking ban went into effect at 7 a.m. but his neighbours didn't.

"A few people who are selfish and don't think about others make it more difficult for people who are currently in my position," he said.

At 8 a.m., Spigleman phoned the city to complain about the cars still on the road.

"Thirteen cars on the street, and no one came to deal with it. And the plows arrived at 9 o'clock and just went around

the cars, which makes more of a mess and creates more of an unlevel surface," he said, adding none of the cars were ever towed.

The city admits parked cars are slowing their operation but it has been trying to move as many as possible. The City of Winnipeg says it handed out 4,557 parking tickets and towed 1,431 vehicles between 7 a.m. Tuesday and 7 a.m. Thursday. The snow-clearing schedule was expected to wrap up on 7 p.m. Thursday.

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page 28 and wings are distinct but more smoothly blended than traditional planes. The result looks something like a manta ray. This design has the advantage of being able to fly at slower speeds.

On approach to a destination city, passengers are told to return to their seats from the bar or observation deck before the plane, which has no wheels or landing gear, swoops down at 150mph (240 kph) and is attached temporarily to the SkyLink track using electromagnetic coupling. The arriving pod is deposited onto the rails. As it decelerates, a departure pod on a parallel track accelerates to match the speed of the still moving plane.

Once it is safely attached, the plane takes off again, fully charged and with new passengers.

Without a lifetime of experience working within a specific industry, members of the Students have come up with a radical idea for cutting journey times in 2050 Horizon System group are free of traditional restraints or predetermined beliefs about the – aircraft that collect and drop-off passengers in moving pod-like carriages. way things should be.

As part of their research they highlighted examples of people taking three hours to get from a city centre to an airport, and of walking between gates at airports taking up to 40 minutes.

“What we want to do it break up these large, standalone airports, into smaller more diverse hubs that could be placed around cities to be much more accessible for people living there,” says Flynn.

The Glasgow group is not the only one An aircraft with a lace-like structure may not seem like the best “pods” from and onto the ground, thereby drastically cutting jour- looking at plane-train hybrids. A team from the Ecole Polytechway to fly, but it is one of a range of radical ideas about how we ney times. After studying the problems facing modern long-dis- nique Federale De Lausanne, in Switzerland, is proposing Clipmay travel in the future. tance travellers, Andrew Flynn, Ewan Alston, Martin Keane and Air, a modular aircraft with detachable pods. The assembled Our transport system, whichever way you look at it, is bro- Mason Holden, sought to create a system that would significantly vehicle looks similar to today’s planes, but with three tubular bodken. Sure, most of us eventually get to where we need to go, but reduce the time it takes to get from points of departure to aero- ies that can be removed or replaced individually to hold passengers, congestion and pollution are constant problems in cities across planes, and from them to destinations. cargo or fuel. the world. When you consider the amount of time we spend just “Sometimes today airplanes are flying above capacity, but “One of the key things that we found was the lack of coherency getting from one place to another, it makes you think there must between modes of transport – road, rail, and air,” says Holden. sometimes they’re empty,” says Bilge Atasoy, a student involved be a better way.

“There is no streamlined interface between the different modes.” in the design. “The most important thing is being flexible, being The greatest minds in the transport industry have spent most By the year 2050, the group imagines a long distance traveller able to adjust to demand of either passengers or cargo.” of the last century offering us solutions such as bigger planes, faster will start their journey at a neighbourhood “SkyStation” where Of course gargantuan hurdles would have to be overcome betrains, and more recently, greener automobiles. But if we want to their luggage will be taken from them. The only security check re- fore anything resembling the Horizon concept could become a retruly revolutionise the transport experience for the better, then per- quired for the entire journey is carried out at this point. Passengers ality. Planes cannot currently be powered by electric power alone, haps we need to look to individuals from outside the industry. then board a “SkyLink” pod – essentially an autonomous train car- and developing the ability to do so would require advances in maElon Musk, the co-founder of PayPal, Tesla Motors and riage propelled along a rail by magnetic levitation. terials and other technologies. Obtaining the international agreeSpaceX, is expected to publically unveil details of Hyperloop, a The 48 passengers these carry can, if they choose, remain in ments for a standardised system could take decades. proposed mode of transport he claims could cover the 340 miles the same seat throughout the journey. Each pod has a battery large Yet with the global population set to reach nine billion by the (550km) from San Francisco to Los Angeles in 30 minutes. Musk enough to provide power for not just itself, but also the plane. The may get the headlines; however, others are thinking even more rad- battery is recharged through induction when the pod is on the middle of this century, and existing transport systems already at ically about the future of transport. ground, in a similar way proposed road-based charging of electric full stretch, something as radical as Horizon may be our only hope. cars. Pods will also have luggage space, and two articulated hooks Asked what we can expect if we do not think more imaginatively about how we move long distances, Clip-Air project leader ClauA group of students from the University of Glasgow and the to attach them to planes.

Glasgow School of Art in the UK have devised Horizon, a system The aircraft, which remain in the air almost all the time, will dio Leonardi’s summary is succinct and to the point.

“Congestion,” he says. in which planes would lift and drop moving railway carriage-like be a blended wing design - a flattened shape in which the body

Visions of the future of flying Horizons: The planes that can pick up trains

page 29

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Horoscope Aries

(March 21 - April 19) A great time for putting new ideas into practice. Don’t be held back by negative types and once you’ve decided to go forward keep moving. Make the most of your popularity before December 25th. and don’t make life more difficult than it is by chasing up petty details or insisting you have your say. It's best to keep quiet and not to cause problems for yourself. Relationship issues seem to be resolved now, so take some time out from duties and responsibilities to have some fun this month. Let partners know you’re aware they need your attention.

Leo

(July 23 - August 22) Effective. Strong. Determined. Canny. Four words that sum you up this month. To get anything done in December rely on your psychic ability, not your power. Mysteries will be revealed and hidden factors will come to light. Recent family struggles will be soothed by honesty and straight talking but use tact and diplomacy too. Your energy is back with a bang so you can afford to make plans for what has the potential to make you busy thru the month. You may be held back by circumstances beyond your control. Don’t swim against the tide.

Sagittarius

(Nov. 22 - Dec. 21) You’re feeling very inspired this month, so make sure you direct this creative energy into something that will give you something back personally.

Keep your eyes and ears open, as even gossip can help you reach new and important realisations. Social occasions help you lighten your life so pull out all the stops in the friendship stakes. Feather your nest financially with rewards from the past. Focus on health issues. A boost to your love life is there for the taking so concentrate on your relationship and spend more quality time with partner.

Taurus

(April 20 - May 20) Capitalise on positive social trends and let others know how capable you are. Controlling all aspects of your life is not easy so put some issues on back burner for now. Show others you’ve got the energy and determination to make a difference at work and at home. Making up your mind over a crucially important issue in your personal life wont be easy, so don’t be rushed. You need to be sure.

You’re about to re-define your own life on your own terms. In other words you know what you want and you know where to get it.

Virgo

(August 23 - Sep. 22)

page 30

December

Gemini

(May 21 - June 21) You need to be free of restrictions as much as you can in December, as it'll help you deal with anyone who's holding you back or halting your progress. Get on the ball here. You’ll start off in a fortunate way with your emotions on display for everyone to see. It’s like you’re wearing your heart on your sleeve, which really goes against the grain for you. A short retreat from the world would be no bad thing. Look out for any chance to make small but significant monetary increases and good fortune will stay with you. Keep frustrations at bay.

Libra

(Sep. 23 - Oct. 23)

You’re at your creative imaginative best this month so use your talents liberally in the workplace and more subtly behind closed doors. Stick to what you know where money is involved and don’t take any chances. There’s no shortcuts to gains or savings. Mentally you’re quicker than ever but a particular individual may still fool you. Make sure you’re on the ball. Focus. You should be making good progress personally by now, but if that’s not the case you need to ask yourself if you need to put in more effort.

Beware of potential setbacks.

A month to clean the slate for a new beginning, so don’t be afraid of demanding your own true worth. Minor hitches and hold ups prove to you that being strictly practical is not your best state of play. Try to get along with others by mixing different potentials. You might find it hard to keep everyday routines in any semblance of order, especially when it comes to running a household. If you have to tighten your belt you’ll need to learn how to economise quickly. If you don’t need it don’t buy it is a general rule.

Work to find those special moments.

Capricorn

Aquarius

Clever communications are order of the month and it’s up to you to supply it. Focusing on small details is what gives you what you need to get ahead. Just don’t rush it. Go forward carefully, one step at a time. You’ve cleared away a lot of old debris so you can now move ahead swiftly. You need to convince yourself you’re more capable than you’re telling others you are. Get things right the first time. Put aside your usual tendency to tough things out and bear responsibilities all on your own. Turn your attention to domestic dealings.

Whatever is important in your personal agenda is what you should be chasing. Go at problems with all guns blazing and don’t be distracted. People notice, you now. You have the ability to motivate others to follow your lead as you’re very optimistic and visionary about work, career and professional opportunities. Others are glad to have you on their side. It's the time to follow your hunches and establish contact with someone you think of as special. Try making as much effort in your intimate relationships. It’ll help. The way you think is important this month.

(Dec. 22 - Jan. 19)

(Jan. 20 - Feb. 18)

Cancer

(June 22 - July 22) Professionally, you could hardly wish for a better month then December. Things seem to fall into place naturally, giving you the opportunity to attract attention from superiors. Be confident in your opinions and let others know that you know what you’re talking about. Your challenge is to keep up with rivals and this gives you the chance to lock horns with at least one of them.

Progress is slow and steady, but you'll do better than many others. Don’t worry you'll come out on top. You have remarkable self defence system.

Scorpio

(Oct. 24 - Nov. 21) Forward planning is not only possible it is also enjoyable, but, think carefully before you take specific steps.

Read between the lines to get to the bottom of what someone’s telling you at work and you’ll be nearer the truth of the matter. Also, rely on your intuition to guide you when you have to hold your own decision against manipulative others with hidden agendas. Manage to find a spare minute for yourself. You’ve put a lot of effort into everything recently and deserve to have a rest. Let others do more.

Stay calm.

Pisces

(Feb. 19 - March 20) There’s good news available for you in December perhaps associated with career developments. It’s natural to feel excited about these positive scenarios but it’s best to wait and see. Make it clear to others you’re no pushover and you'll get the respect you deserve. You have a great support network around you if you’d just stop shutting them out. No man or woman is an island, so if you feel you need help emotionally, reach out. Can happen, that certain people who’ve been involved in your life up to this point might need to drift away soon. Focus.

page 31 Problem The service manager gathered his service writers together for a meeting to go over many points that needed to be handled. As he was ending the meeting, he said; "You must remember, ALL customers that enter this service department have a problem. It's YOUR job to determine if it's mechanical or mental."

Price The couple was standing staring at one of the more expensive models in the auto showroom. A salesman sensing their debate over the price moved in and said, “This model is priced just over the car which is priced a few dollars above the car which costs no more than some models of the lowest priced cars.”

Airplane Ride A farmer and his wife went to a fair. The farmer was fascinated by the airplanes and asked a pilot how much a ride would cost. "$10 for 3 minutes," replied the pilot.

"That's too much," said the farmer.

The pilot thought for a second and then said, "I'll make you a deal. If you and your wife ride for 3 minutes without uttering a sound, the ride will be free. But if you make a sound, you'll have to pay $10."

The farmer and his wife agreed and went for a wild ride. After they landed, the pilot said to the farmer, "I want to congratulate you for not making a sound. You are a brave man."

"Maybe so," said the farmer, "But I gotta tell ya, I almost screamed when my wife fell out."

Early Shopping It was Christmas and the judge was in a merry mood as he asked the prisoner, "What are you charged with?"

"Doing my Christmas shopping early," replied the defendant.

"That's no offence," said the judge.

"It is if you do it before the shops are open," countered the defendant.

A Christmas Gift The Santa Claus at the shopping mall was very surprised when a young lady aged about 20 years old walked up and sat on his lap. Now, we all know that Santa doesn’t usually take requests from adults, but she smiled very nicely at him and asked ‘What do you want for Christmas?’ ‘Something for my mother, please,’ replied young lady sweetly. ‘Something for your mother? Well, that’s very loving and thoughtful of you,’ smiled Santa. ‘What do would you like me to bring her?’ Without pausing, the lady answered quickly, ‘A millionaire son-in-law.’

Granny Goes To Court Lawyers should never ask a Mississippi grandma a question if they aren't prepared for the answer. In a trial, a Southern small -town prosecuting attorney called his first witness, a grandmotherly, elderly woman to the stand. He approached her and asked, 'Mrs. Jones, do you know me?' She responded, 'Why, yes, I do know you, Mr. Williams. I've known you since you were a boy, and frankly, you've been a big disappointment to me. You lie, you cheat on your wife, and you manipulate people and talk about them behind their backs. You think you're a big shot when you haven't the brains to realize you'll never amount to anything more than a two-bit paper pusher. Yes, I know you.'The lawyer was stunned. Not knowing what else to do, he pointed across the room and asked, 'Mrs. Jones, do you know the defense attorney?'She again replied, 'Why yes, I do. I've known Mr. Bradley since he was a youngster, too. He's lazy, bigoted, and he has a drinking problem. He can't build a normal relationship with anyone, and his law practice is one of the worst in the entire

state. Not to mention he cheated on his wife with three different women. One of them was your wife. Yes, I know him.'The defense attorney nearly died.The judge asked both counselors to approach the bench and, in a very quiet voice, said, 'If either of you idiots asks her if she knows me, I'll send you both to the electric chair.'

Seat Son: "Mom, when I was on the bus with Dad this morning, he told me to give up my seat to a lady."

Mom: "Well, you did the right thing."

Son: "But Mom, I was sitting on daddy's lap."

Fortune A newly married man asked his wife, "Would you have married me if my father hadn't left me a fortune?"

"Honey," the woman replied sweetly, "I'd have married you, NO MATTER WHO LEFT YOU A FORTUNE!"

Report Card Father to son after exam: "Let me see your report card."

Son: "My friend just borrowed it. He wants to scare his parents."

Sense of Humor A husband asked his wife : "What do you like most in me , my handsome face or my muscular body?" She looked at him from head to toe and replied: "I like your sense of humor."

Marriage Certificate Husband: "What are you doing?"

Wife: "Nothing. " Husband: "Nothing...? You've been reading our marriage certificate for an hour."

Wife: "I was looking for the expiration date."

Dinner Wife: "Do you want dinner?"

Husband: "Sure! What are my choices?"

Wife: "Yes and No."

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TM

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