Zurich Citizens News, 1981-02-12, Page 4Page 4
Citizens News February 12, 1981
OILSON WELLS
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Man, a civilized being or not?
Man, the highest form on this planet we call
earth, or is he?
Man is civilized and refined, much above the
rest of the animal world. Animals sleep in trees, in
cold caves and on the plains of the Seringetty.
. Man on the other hand, sleeps in warmcomfor-
toble houses that are heated by oil or gas. Oil and
gas that come from a few small countries that
charge through the nose for it. This makes the peo-
ple without oil upset and angry that they have to
rely on others for their comfort. They start to think
they should take over the oil, so that they do not
have to worry anymore. This does not make the peo-
ple who own the oil very happy, so they prepare to
defend their property. A war is in the making.
Civilized, aren't we?
Man is civilized and is above killing. Animals
kill, but only for food. They waste nothing and only
the strong survive. In man's cities, animals kill and
for no apparent reason. Bodies are left to rot and it
is not only the fit that survive. The animal is man
and survival depends on the size of the gun. More
evidence man is higher up on the evolutionary
scale.
Man has the superior mind, it has often been
said. We can use it to better the world, make it a de-
centplace to live. A testimony to that thinking is the
air pollution in our cities, the acid rain that is killing
our lakes and the disposable pop cans that cover the
countryside. Nuclear energy is also a fine example
of man's ability to make this world worth living in .
We have developed nuclear waste, which we have
no idea how to get rid of safely. Nuclearweapons
that can lay waste- to half of the surface of the
planet we call home by one simple push of a button.
Yes, man is the greatest being ever to walk the
face of the earth, or is he?
there's always something to do
"There's nothing to do."
This is a particular complaint of many young
people. For some the situation is only temporary.
For others their whole existence is directed to fin-
ding something to amuse and occupy them.
The Listowel Banner recently addressed this at-
titude. In an editorial the newspaper recorded the
words of what one judge said to a group of young
people to the well worn questions, "What can we do.
Where can we go?"
Said the judge, "Go home! Hang the storm win-
dows. paint the woodwork. Rake the leaves, mow
the lawn, shovel the snow. Wash the car, learn to
cook, scrub the floors. Repair the sink, build a boat,
get a job. Help a minister. priest or rabbi. Visit the
sick, help the poor. Study your lessons. And when
you are through and not too tired, read a good
book."
"Your parents do not owe you entertainment.
Your city or village does not owe you recreational
facilities. The world does not owe you a living. You
owe it your time and energy and your talents so that
no one will be at war or in poverty or sick or lonely
again.
"In plain simple words, grow up, quit being a
crybaby, get out of your dream world, and develop a
backbone not a wishbone, and start acting like a
man or a lady. You're suppose to be mature
enough to accept some of the resonsibility your
parents have carried for years. They have nursed,
protected, helped, appealed, begged, excused,
tolerated and denied themselves many things so
that you could have every benefit.
"This they have done gladly, for you are their
dearest treasure. But now, you have no right to ex-
pect them to bow to every whim and fancy just
because selfish ego instead of common sense
dominates your personality, thinking and re-
quests."
In Heaven's name, grow up and go home."
Miscellaneous
Rumblings
By
ROB CHESTER
Atoms
All things are made up of atoms.
Not little hockey players, but those teeny- tiny par-
ticles of...well.... er... those particles of stuff that
make up things.
Remember your high school physics -atoms are those
little protons and neutrons, being orbited by electrons,
much like the solar system: stars and planets and
space junk, that sort of thing.
While most of us in Zurich are more concerned with
the things atoms make up, scientists in Zurich,
Switzerland, are asking a very fundamental question
about the atom.
The obvious in life is often the hardest to recognize.
Since atoms are so small they cannot be seen, one
would expect them to be the basic building block of all
things. But these Swiss, and European scientists, have
asked what atoms are made of.
Again the obvious comes into play.
I remember, as a child, wanting to know what made
my transistor radio work. I threw it down a staircase.
If you really want to know what's inside the atom,
you have to break one to find out. .
The scientists have built themselves a device called
a particle accelerator. The machine is a large circle,
with a track going around the edge. A series of elec-
tromagnets gives the particle a boost of energy as it
goes past.
The result is a very small bit of matter, moving very
quickly about a closed track. The scientists then place
an obstacle in the particle's path.
Remember the radio? When it hit the floor, it spilled
bits of wire and plastic and electronic odds and ends
all over the place.
Our atom, when it hits, spills out bits of matter and
energy. By carefully measuring these pieces, scien-
tists can interpret and theorize about the building
blocks of the atom.
While I was in school, being taught about atoms by
my physics teacher, out in the real world, science had
gone beyond the atom, and found two types of par-
ticles: leptons and quarks.
Don't be silly.
If you can accept the fact you're made up of teeny -
tiny little atoms, you're mature enough to accept the
fact you're actually a mass of walking quarks and lep-
tons.
It was discovered there are, in fact, five different
types of quarks. These were quickly given the scien-
tific names of Up, Down,Strange, Charm, and Bottom.
It is postulated there is a sixth quark, tentatively en-
titled Top.
Now, if atoms are made up of protons, neutrons,
electrons and the rest of them; and protons, neutrons,
electrons, et al, are made up of leptons and quarks;
and quarks are made up of....
What the hell are Ups, Downs ,Stranges, Charms and
Bottoms made up of?
Rishons
In theory, there are three types of Rishons....
All this may lead to a method of describing the
totality of all things by a simple mathematical for-
mula.
Like Einstein's E equals M times C squared, which
allows us to calculate space travel, and harness
nuclear energy, the new theory could open some
strange and wonderful doors for the future of mankind.
It hasn't been found yet, but valuable research being
done in Zurich, Swirtzerland, and here in Canada, is
bringing forth some interesting results, and hints at
answers.
I think I'll go lie down for a while.
My atoms are tired.
Published Each Wednesday Sy J.W. Eddy Publications Ltd.
Member:
Canadian Weekly Newspapers Association
Ontario Weettly Newspapers Association
News Editors - Mark Hough and Rob Chester
Second Class Mail Registration Number 1385
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