Sometime on Nov. 3, the supercooled magnets in sector 81 of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), outside Geneva, began to dangerously overheat. Scientists rushed to diagnose the problem, since the particle accelerator has to maintain a temperature colder than deep space in order to work. The culprit? “A bit of baguette,” says Mike Lamont of the control center of CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, which built and maintains the LHC. Apparently, a passing bird may have dropped the chunk of bread on an electrical substation above the accelerator, causing a power cut. The baguette was removed, power to the cryogenic system was restored and within a few days the magnets returned to their supercool temperatures….

November 10, 2009: This year’s Leonid meteor shower peaks on Tuesday, Nov. 17th.
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Says they will be better viewed over Asia but it’s still worth it, if one can to try to see some here. Back in ‘01 or 02 they were strong here in North America and the media did nice job of predicting. We were on vacation at a SC Island (no distracting lights from town or city) and got up at 3AM made some hot chocolate and went out down the boardwalk to the beach. We were surprised to find so many others who came out at the same time to view them. It started slow …but in about an hour we were treated to a realy sky show. It’s not like fireworks on July 4th…it’s more simple but lovely to watch…with the anticipation in the quiet dark of the “wee hours.”

It was a treat. I hope others will set that alarm…make some hot chocolate and venture out. It’s a commune with nature that is a real treat. It’s more spectacular if you don’t live near “city lights” …but sometimes if you are in a smaller city you can drive out away from where you live to where the real “dark” is and perhaps catch a view. If there is a hill nearby, that’s a good spot.

http://www.forbes.com/2009/11/10/economy-health-care-banks-opinions-columnists-dan-gerstein.html

My wife and I will both be watching the Leonids….should be fun.

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/MensHealthNews/bpa-linked-sexual-dysfunction-men/story?id=9048200

Plastic Bottle Chemical Tied to Male Infertility

While environmental groups have sounded the alarm about the presence of bisphenol-A, or BPA, in products such as infant formula, baby bottles and other plastics, a new study provides some of the first evidence that the chemical can be harmful to humans, linking it to sexual dysfunction in men in high doses.
A new study finds a link between the chemical and erectile dysfunction.Researchers looked at 550 factory workers in China, some of whom were exposed to BPA as part of their job, and found that men who worked with BPA were four times more likely than their counterparts who did not work with the chemical to report some level of sexual dysfunction.

…And the Chinese want our ban on certain meats lifted? hee, hee, hee…..