Olympics for all

I was very saddened today to hear that the International Olympic Committee has decided not to allow the athletes from Iraq to compete in the Games in China. What they, of all people should understand is what this actually means to the young athlete. This international stage comes around only every 4 years- an eternity for any athlete, making it often a single chance to compete.

Besides, even leaving the spirit of "We Are the World," Coca Cola commercials and Un Seul Peuple aside, this is supposed to be a neutral event, where athletes are judged by one standard. In this case, it's not discrimination (though I don't know) necessarily, but politics. Politics politics politics. Enough!

This reminds me of how I felt not long ago when there were protests against the Olympic torch. How can someone politicize an international competition, that is at least outwardly representative of peace, understanding and unity? How exactly does a runner/swimmer/javelin-throwing torch-bearer deserve to be threatened and upstaged by protests? An athlete whose goal is simple and pure- perfection of a sport and fair competition!

I attended a party for an (American) Olympic athlete last month. She'd just qualified for her event after years and years of training (and previous Olympic appearances) and her friends and family threw her a giant party to celebrate her achievement. The joy, pride and awe in her achievement after overcoming significant obstacles to compete was palpable, even with such a supportive environment: the party was in a large, beautiful home in Orange county, and sponsors, friends and fellow trainees were there to celebrate.

I'd like to try to picture how Dana Hussain, one Iraqi athlete, celebrated her qualification, in a time when her country is at war, and the difficulties of training and living in Iraq were likely not easy... how she's dreamed about this for months and years. And now she is unable to compete. Without the Olympics, what is the future of a female professional sprinter in Iraq? And what is the future of the children of this country that is struggling to start over- denied the inspiration and hope that comes from seeing their best compete on the world stage?
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Un "black hole" a la Francaise?

I was a little disturbed to read today about the CERN project in France that has something to do with colliding particles and powerful magnets. Some are fearing that this could make a black hole that would swallow earth. As a scientist, I know too many stories of people worried irrationally about impossible consequences from things, often spurred by a lack of education on the subject. In this sense, I will admit that I am ignorant on the subject of physics (never took it though my dad taught it long ago! Maybe I absorbed some around the house when I was little).

I know nothing of the physics of this issue, and feel a little silly being concerned about it. However, one thing does bother me. If we are looking for hypothetical molecules, and dimensions that have been calculated in mathematical rather than physical reality, then there is a large unknown here. As in many things, it seems that the more we learn, the more we see how little we know! In any case, the fact that the "destruction of the planet" was named in a lawsuit aimed at stopping the project should raise more eyebrows, although I will concede that in this case, we could similarly argue that monkeys will fly out of the sun if we turn on this machine, as we think they may inhabit the 6th dimension.

Lastly, how exactly can we produce a safety report judging the risk of something so unknown? Am I wrong and there is more known? So perhaps my problem is not with the project itself, but our claim that we can even calculate the risk in this case. (I will also concede here that I am fully out-degreed by the risk assessment panel including a Nobel laureate.)

I just feel that as a citizen of the earth, perhaps more people should have a say in this. We are no longer countries with small populations of farmers and traders. We are large countries that have built things far more powerful than we are. Incredible, but also disconcerting. We are un seul peuple; hard to say if the larger masses of us are qualified to make a judgement in this case, but should we be more careful about the decisions the few make for la foule?

If you would like to see some physicists argue about this stuff, and a moderately technical explanation of the possibility of a mini-black hole actually forming, see this post.