Its The End Of The World As We Know It ... And I Feel Fine

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC), a 27 kilometer (17 mile) long particle accelerator straddling the border of Switzerland and France, is nearly set to begin its first particle beam tests. The European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) is preparing for its first small tests in early August, leading to a planned full-track test in September - and the first planned particle collisions before the end of the year. The final step before starting is the chilling of the entire collider to -271.25 C (-456.25 F). Here is a collection of photographs from CERN, showing various stages of completion of the LHC and several of its larger experiments (some over seven stories tall), over the past several years.

Im surprised Miguel has been so quiet round here, and didn't want to pitch in his 2 cents for this one :) in fact, no one even picked up on the REM song reference. come on people, what more important things are happening than tuning in here ... ahh I kid, I kid.

Updated September 15, 2008 - It was last week on Wednesday, September 10, 2008, near Geneva, Switzerland, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) fired only a single beam of protons around the 17-mile-long underground circular tunnel - not two beams of protons hitting head-to-head near the speed of light.

Two reasons: First, LHC wanted to test hardware and magnets first. Second, shortly after the firing, computer hackers broke into the computers connected to the Compact Muon Solenoid Detector (CMSD) and left this message: “We're pulling your pants down because we don't want to see you running around naked looking to hide yourselves when the panic comes.”

Physicist Joseph Lykken heads the CMSD science team and told me today that the hackers themselves closed the “hacked doorway” through which they entered. Further, none of the computers controlling the actual LHC proton beam collisions have any connections to the outside world for precisely the reason to prevent hackers from interfering with such a powerful laboratory as the LHC.

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they must have blown they're budget on the LHC, they couldnt even give this poor worker a proper desk and an LCD screen. Come on fella's! :)

9/11: The Third Tower ...

Miguel put me onto this a few days ago, and im just throwing it out here quickly as a reminder for all and myself. obviously lately ive had a few things on my brain, but a current affairs still grip me to the core and issues surrounding 911, this new generation of false terrorism, global elites and the nitty gritty behind the headlines are what we need to be waking up to.

Think and read, investigate and make your own conclusions. this latest doco may be late on the horizon here for us Aussies who don't download alot, but the questions should be timeless, until we know the truth. check it out.

ABC 1 TV
Seven years on, the destruction of New York's Twin Towers, played and replayed thousands of times over, is seared into collective memory.

A third skyscraper also fell that day. Unlike the Twin Towers, the 47-storey building known as Tower Seven was not hit by a fuel-laden plane, yet it collapsed neatly in 6.5 seconds.

The official explanation is that it was destroyed by fire. But in the seven years it has taken to present the final investigation report, suspicion has filled the information vacuum. Tower Seven has fed an industry of conspiracy theories that grew up around 9/11. Claims are pressed – by a phenomenally popular movie on the Internet and by supposedly credible "experts" – that someone in or close to the US Government brought the building down by controlled demolition.

How, among the many questions they ask, could Tower Seven be the first and only steel-framed skyscraper in the world to collapse due to fire? Why did the New York fire department not fight the fires? Why did it fall so symmetrically at freefall speed? Why did TV stations report that Tower Seven had collapsed before it had done so, when it was still clearly visibly behind reporters?

This BBC documentary explores some of these questions. In doing so it demonstrates how, when good information is scarce, or late, many people will believe the worst. 9/11: The Third Tower" – on Four Corners 8.30 pm Monday 8 September and 11.35 pm Tuesday 9 September (also 8am Tuesday on ABC2). Think for yourself.

Roll On Roll On ...

Leg feels quite good, considering ive got a 50cm steel pin through it haha. today was probably the first time i could actually move round without a great deal of pain, or need for painkillers. so all in all i think a speedy recovery is on the cards towards October. and we all know what happens in October :)

I'm off again, this time to Melbourne for a day and then onwards to spend a week with family up in Bairnsdale, round the Eastern Gipsland, Lakes Entrance area. this little venture was promised and organised way before anything, even the world trip, so here i am saying "It's still on"! I'm heading over to visit my uncle and aunty (Mike and Gayle) who are fantastic people, owning and running their own bed and breakfast and local bookstore in the community. i share a great respect and friendship with my uncle who tends to think outside the square, and arrives at many subjects and conclusions i find most interesting. more than a relative, a good friend and confidant who has always been but a phone call away to support me and lend words of wisdom and comedic relief. we don't get over to see you as often as we all should Miguel, but if i can be the spark, the others will follow im sure.

So prepare yourself down there in Victoria, im coming back, and this time im bringing enough stories to keep the cows awake for many an hour. i can't say how much ive been looking forward to this for well over 18 months, and now seems the right time more than ever. for some period there, it was all i had left to look forward to, a goal to reach. and aint no bloody broken leg gonna stop me getting on a plane, i can assure you of that. hopefully i can walk by then, if not, you will just have to keep feeding me, and suppling the Corona :)

Thanks to all who helped organise this, and for the open welcome of staying there for a visit. i intend to pay this good will forward as soon as i can. take care all. ive included some shots of Melbourne and Bairnsdale town for the oversees viewers. adios.

So, What Exactly Did Happen ?

So im now out of hospital, feeling better, moving and boxing my life up for the next six months while i heal, walk again, save some cash and get a place to stay. the journey continues. ....

Not The Best Of Returns ....

Alot of you have been wondering where things have gotten to, how im doing and whats been happening of late. truth is, things have been rather dark and gloomy for the most part. a series of bad luck incidents and twists have really left me in a situation that at the start of the year, i tried so desperatly to avoid. planning it seems has kinda gone out the window.

So i've moved out from the Swan Valley, still planning to stay in Perth for a while as i now find my own feet again. the hardest thing about this scenario is that its come as another weight on parents shoulders which i feel extremly appologetic for. they have, and continue to support me in everyway and in anything i choose to do, and to have to reach out to them again is hard, and i can only thank them here, and in person, over and over again. it never goes un-noticed or un-appreciated. I hope someday I can repay this, or pay it forward.

Ive grabbed a few shots to wak on the blog of Perth, for the folks we met travelling in the states recently. thanks for all the emails guys, we must catch up again one day :)
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Full Circle ...

Well where has the time gone eh, in some respects it all went too fast, in others it slowed to a snails pace, all in all it was great. i really can't believe another world trip is over and ive been away for only 5 weeks, it kinda feels longer, maybe because of the lag in flying all the way back round the globe to Perth.

To those that we met along the way, thank you for your friendships and good times, please stay in touch and our door is open anytime you decide to venture down under to this big brown land of Australia and come explore. no matter if your heading west or east, we can help you out. opposite to that, when we trek out again, if we are stopping through your home towns, be sure to have a cold beverage on hand. last but not least, thank you to our employers, and families who allowed us the opportunities to do this, without them all we would not be here. we are both so appreciative just to have great jobs to come back to.

I really can't explain what a fantastic journey it all was, and standouts for me would have to be Mexico and San Diego. those times will stay with me for a long time, and im so glad i got to venture into those jungles whilst i still can, and not at the age of 64. really thinking about getting back in 2012, Dec 21st, maybe see the new year in there ... maybe a new something. Canada was also great, however due to bad luck, bad weather and bad timing things weren't explored as much as possible. would love to go back, but bigger and new locations call first. California id have to say im kinda done with, America in general i guess, for a while ... however i have a strong urge to hop back for an east coast trip and or another Comic Con. but from an outside perspective, the US is heading into really god awful times, and i dont want to be involved in that.

Where next? well no concrete plans, i need to hit Melbourne preferably this year, but the bank is saying no lol, other than that, SE Asia, China, North Africa, the Moon. really looking forward to just getting back into the swing of things and re-appreciating the life we have in Perth. we live in an amazing place, you all just dont have any idea how lucky you have it. from owning homes, clean and healthy foods, safe medical centers, stable jobs, raising families in safe surrounds, still having strong and open connections with our heritage pasts .... being able to walk to the beach, the park, an open space, to breath clean air, to not have to worry about natural disasters taking away everything in a rumble or a swirl. take a moment and just be thankful. see you all on the other side.

Vancouver : Last Goodbye

Whistler : I Want Snow ...

This famous resort ski region is just 45 mins away via air from downtown Vancouver. its the site of the majority of the 2010 winter olympics and is bound to expand in size and world scope in the next few years... but is it ready?

After a story of setbacks to try and actually get up there, on the morning of our delayed flight, both Mark and I said to each other, should we just call it quits and forget trying to get around the closed rail line (Sea to Sky high way closed due to landslide) well this question would reappear numerous times and generally i guess we just should of stayed in Vancouver. after a delayed flight due to weather, we were only flown half way to Whistler and had to spend another hour on a bus ride up the mountains to get in (which we were not informed of until landing) so basically our first day in the place was gone, we arrived tired, hungry, angry and too late for alot of things, not to mention a hotel where we couldnt even check in till 4PM! oh did i mention the weather was pouring with rain and freezing outside. hello summer ......

Skip to day two, after hearing the phrase "This weather is extremely unusual for this time of year" over and over we were both ready to just hit the valley air and walk a trail for 3/4 of a day. we took a path into the surrounding base of Whistler and Blackcomb, round the village and golf course's, round Lost Lake, onto Green Lake and round again. boy was that a slog. harder too was trying to judge the weather. its still chilly up there (ice / hard pack snow is still on all the mountain peaks) and packing jumpers became tiresome half way through the walk.

Never the less the scenery is pristine and breathtaking. well cared for and maintained as are most things round here in general. trash, and the alike are all kept to a minimum, if nothing at all. i found it cool how they have special bins around here with kiddy safe lids to ..... keep the bears from opening them and also tipping them over. never did see a bear though, although Mark almost got his leg ripped off by a huge dog led by a jogger on the trail lol. so we got out finally and gave it our best shot, but as you can imagine after the hit and miss of the last few days we were just ready to ship out by days end. mentally more than anything else. if we were there for more days there is plenty we would like to have done. lastly gotta mention, if your into mountain biking, come here, this sport takes over from skiing in the summer and every man and his dog is an extreme biker. the trails offer the perfect adrenaline circuit.

Pack Stack and Repack : News

Hey guys, currently just finishing things off on Whistler, heading back to Vancouver tomorrow for a day and then off the next day to Germany, next day to Singapore and then same day Home. its gonna be a rush but more so for Mark who is skipping out earlier than me, heading back with no stop overs, im flyin solo from Germany onwards.

Canada has been great to see, however alot of things were slowed down or canceled due to the turn of bad weather here along the way. particularly in Whistler where we barely even got here to begin with .... so i guess i should explain that one a bit further, the story begins a day earlier and i don't know if you guys would have heard about it back home.

So we've had this run of bad weather and alot of rain everyday since we have been here so far, and on Thursday we decided to actually tackle it head on and just do what we always do, stuff the weather and hit the sights. it was overcast but not raining on the morning so we booked ahead and went out on a sea harbour excursion, a two hour bay tour on a Zodiac holding 12 people. the tour takes us through Howe sound and the bay area, lying at the base of the mountains, it too was carved centuries earlier by the same glaciers that had an impact on Yosemite and the mountains of the west coast. booking the tour we were told that today was the only day we could do it as Sunday was fully booked due to a landslide over the Sea to Sky highway (the way to Whistler via Rail and Car). We panic .....

Leaving the tour for a moment we start to freak out as now we hit the net, no emails or notifications from the rail services or float planes we have booked, but seeing the news, over night there had been a rock landslide covering the highway and rail line preventing all transport up to and down from Whistler and the surrounding mountains. now we are in a situation where we are unlikely to even make it up there and we have no other hotel reservations for Vancouver ..... not good.

Long story short we phone the Rail company, "oh yeh the rail link is closed can we rebook you" "No you can't", we're still after a refund, but we then figure if we can phone quickly we can possibly get the Float Plane service up there as well as back to Vancouver, a few phone calls later and we are booked on a plane for the next morning .... oh but the fun had only just begun.

Skip back to the Howe Sound sea bay tour and it begins to rain as we step onto the boat. it doesn't stop for another 3 days. so we shuffled round the bay on this awesome speed boat, raining, overcast, cold and windy ... just the way we like it lol. but positives were it was cool just to be out there. Dad, it reminded me of the Albany bay fishing trips we took out there in the dingy, minus the huge swells. i felt like dropping in a line. as we circled the islands on the two hour tour we got to see many Bald Eagles, Seals, marine life and forests. do it if you ever get out here. but linking these two stories, on the boat ride back in we actually passed the Sea to Sky highway and were able to view the landslide from the ocean, and man what a mess it was, this was expected to clear in a weeks time.

Skip onwards to the next morning and we get out to the float plane expecting, well, expecting what we paid for, a full flight to Whistler uninterrupted. this was not to be the case, not only had the bad weather stuck round, it had now sealed off Whistler in a cloud and rain bank that prevented flying. we were left with a delayed flight, and only flew 20mins, half way there, up to Squamish, and then we were bussed up the mountains a further 40mins. the best bit, no one bothered to inform us of this segway, and there were no compensations, hence to say i will not fly and will not recommend Whistler Air to anyone. unfortunatly we leave with them tomorrow as well, hopefully this time round we get out full flight, and a safe journey. (update: flight out of Whistler was a full flight, but passengers who booked during the weekend, post landslide were made to pay 30% more in ticket fares .... DO NOT FLY UP HERE WITH Whistler Air)

So things have been hampered here in Canada a bit but its all coming to a gradual end, and to be honest, its about time, we are kinda knackered and ready to just end the living from a suitcase life. when we make it out again i think it will be for a shorter time frame, but the same amount of hijinks. glad to have you all following along and commenting when you can. its been a great way to keep in touch and i wouldnt do it any other way. as a good friend in San Diego said on departure, go back to work, save your money, plan, travel, rinse repeat .... seeyou all soon. updates as we hit the floor home.

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