Citizens Petition to Stay FDA "Swine Flu" Vaccine Approvals
By Administrator	on August 17, 2009	No Comments
Media Announcement at: http://drrimatruthreports.com/?p=3312
In the Matter of the A-H1N1-09 "Swine Flu" Vaccines
} FDA Docket No. FDA-2009-P-0418
} PETITION
} With Request for Emergency Relief:
} Temporary Stay of all Pending
} "Swine Flu" Vaccine Approvals
To: Dockets Management Branch
Room 1061	HFA-305
Dated: August 17, 2009 – rev.1.01 (08.23.09)
Pursuant to the Constitution of the United States of America, First Amendment, Right to Petition for Redress of Grievances, the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA), 21 U.S.C. §§ 321 et seq., the Administrative Procedure Act (APA), 5 U.S.C. § 553(e), 21 C.F.R. 10.20 and 10.30 (Citizens Petition) and, to the extent applicable, 21 C.F.R. 10.35, to amend the FDA's rules respecting the safety, effectiveness and availability of vaccines said to be useful for swine flu (A-H1N1-09), the undersigned Petitioners PETITION the Unites States, to wit:
1.	This Petition is brought before the Executive Authority of the United States of America, mindful of the President's call for transparency in government and science-based decision-making. This Revision 1.01 of the Petition has been modified in form to meet the terms of applicable portions of 21 C.F.R. 10.20 – 35. Petitioners, however, note that this Petition is grounded in the Constitutional Right to Petition which may not be "abridged" by Government and therefore any regulatory requirements are subordinate to that primary source of authority for this Petition. In so far as any of the Petitioners are protected under the RFRA, all rights are reserved under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 (RFRA – P.L. 103-141).
The Petitioners therefore have included Addendum 1.1 in this Petition to address the formal requirements of Section 10.30: A. Action requested; B. Statement of Grounds; C. Environmental Impact/Exemption and D. Economic Impact. Furthermore, in so far as Sec. 10.35 (Stay of Actions) may apply, the Petitioners have included Addendum 1.2 to this Petition to address the formal requirements of Section 10.35: A. Decision Involved and B. Action Requested. Finally, Petitioners append to this Petition actual copies of non-governmental Citations referenced in Appendix B, which has been further amended to meet the "unfavorable representative data" requirement of the Sec. 10.30 Certification format.
2.	Petitioners are several nongovernmental organizations involved in health care civil rights and several individuals who are adversely impacted by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and/or the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) actions referred to in this Petition, and all persons who join in this Petition hereafter.
3.	This Petition is submitted to request specific action by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and/or the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) (the Federal Agencies) within the scope of the mandated duties thereof, in order to exhaust administrative remedies.
4.	The primary purpose of the Petition is to seek emergency actions with regard to the imminent Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and/or the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) granting of various drug-interest commercial applications or approval and widespread use of various so-called "H1N1" "A-H1N1-09" or "Swine Flu" vaccines (herein, the Vaccines).
5.	The Vaccine Approvals are being treated as emergency drug approvals, but are being sought without even minimal science-based safety testing or testing for clinical efficacy in preventing disease, and with the inclusion of dangerous adjuvants, including Mercury, and squalene, which has never been heretofore approved as a vaccine adjuvant. Legal immunity has been granted a priori to the manufactures, the Federal Government and its agents in the event of harm or death from these vaccines.
6. a. As one example, within the past two weeks, the British Neurological Surveillance Unit (BNSU) warned of "the Government's concern about releasing a vaccine of unknown safety." and has alerted its members to be on the alert for an up to 8-fold increase in Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) due to the Vaccines that are the subject of this Petition.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1206807/Swine-flu-jab-link-killer-nerve-disease-Leaked-letter-reveals-concern-neurologists-25-deaths-America.html#ixzz0OJSgKn4b
b. The United States government has paid nearly two billion dollars to the families of individuals who have been killed or maimed by vaccines as part the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program. A massive increase in the use of vaccines such as the swine flu vaccine that is the subject of this petition will be likely to significantly increase the number of individuals harmed by vaccines.
See: http://www.usdoj.gov/civil/torts/const/vicp/about.htm
Redress Sought
7. (a) The first action sought is an emergency Temporary Stay of the pending Vaccine approval applications. The applications should be denied. Petitioners request a Public Hearing. Petitioners are in imminent peril of irreparable harm if the Temporary Stay is not granted immediately.
(b) Additionally, the Petitioners petition the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and/or the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to open and accept public comments and include, as part of any approval of the Vaccines, requiring strong warnings to the public, as mandated by the United States Supreme Court in another context, Thompson v. Western States Medical Center – 535 U.S. 357, 2002:
"If the First Amendment means anything, it means that regulating speech must be a last – not first – resort. … We have previously rejected the notion that the Government has an interest in preventing the dissemination of truthful commercial information in order to prevent members of the public from making bad decisions with the information."
"Even if the Government did argue that it had an interest in preventing misleading advertisements, this interest could be satisfied by the far less restrictive alternative of requiring each compounded drug to be labeled with a warning that the drug had not undergone FDA testing and that its risks were unknown."
The warning should therefore read: "This Vaccine has not undergone FDA safety or efficacy testing and its risks are unknown in all age groups. This Vaccine contains ingredients previously rejected for use in the United State and/or never evaluated by the FDA which have been shown in animal studies to cause significant adverse biological response when injected."
The warning should further advise that should the recipient experience an adverse event or death from the vaccine, the vaccine manufacturers, government and government agencies have no liability, and the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program does not currently provide for possible compensation to victims of the Vaccines.
(c) The Petitioners petition the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and/or the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to engage in a vigorous public information campaign, interleaved with their promotion of the Vaccines, and given equal prominence in type face, media announcements, web presence and other methods of public information used to promote the Vaccines, stating that the Vaccines contain ingredients previously rejected for use in the United State and/or never evaluated by the FDA which have been shown in animal studies to cause significant adverse biological response when injected. And, further that should the recipient experience an adverse event or death from the vaccine, the vaccine manufacturers, government and government agencies have no liability, and the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program does not currently provide for possible compensation to victims of the Vaccines.
(d) The Petitioners petition the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and/or the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to recommend to all implementing agencies, such as State Departments of Health, that these uninsurable, unproven and untested Vaccines not be subject to any legal mandate, whether direct or indirect, perceived or actual, requiring their use by any class of persons in order for such persons to receive government services, such as schooling, or to work in particular employments, such as first responders or health care workers, or to travel or to attend any public places or for any other purpose.
(e) The Petitioners petition the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and/or the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to recommend voluntary Self-Shielding at home in preference to vaccination or removal to FEMA or other relocation facilities in the event of a Declared Pandemic Emergency.
Legal Basis for Relief
8. As an Executive Department Agency, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and/or the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) must "Take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed" (Article II, Section3, United States Constitution).
9. This Petition is grounded in fundamental principles of inalienable right, law and equity.
10. The primary legal basis for submitting this Petition to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and/or the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States: "Congress shall make no law…abridging… the right of the people… to petition the Government for a redress of grievances." Additionally, the First Amendment Freedom of Speech, requiring transparency in government, as well as Fourth, Fifth, Ninth, Tenth and Fourteenth Amendments impact the arguments herein.
11. Petitioners also cite: the World Medical Association 1964 Declaration of Helsinki. See: http://www.wma.net/e/policy/b3.htm. This Declaration has the force of International Law, to which the United States is a party, and it clearly forbids experimental medication or medication without fully informed consent, as does United States law, for example, 42 U.S.C. 289(a).
12. The United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights – Article 12 – "No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honor and reputation. Everyone has the right to the protection of the law against such interference or attacks." See: http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/ and the Geneva Conventions: Protocol Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, and Relating to the Protection of Victims of Non-International Armed Conflicts (Protocol II) – Article 17.-Prohibition of forced movement of civilians:
"1. The displacement of the civilian population shall not be ordered for reasons related to the conflict unless the security of the civilians involved or imperative military reasons so demand.
Should such displacements have to be carried out, all possible measures shall be taken in order that the civilian population may be received under satisfactory conditions of shelter, hygiene, health, safety and nutrition.
2. Civilians shall not be compelled to leave their own territory for reasons connected with the conflict."
See: http://www2.ohchr.org/english/law/protocol2.htm
13. Current law and regulations provide for involuntary Provisional Quarantine, with removal, following refusal of persons to submit to vaccination with the untested, uninsurable, non-voluntary "informed consent" Vaccines. The Agency regulations should be amended to provide for voluntary Self-Shielding, Self-Quarantine and Self-Isolation as permitted alternatives.
14. Bivens v. Six Unknown-Named Agents of Fed. Bureau of Narcotics, 403 U.S. 388, 396-397, (1971); Carison v. Green, 466 U.S. 14, 18-19 (1980). – These cases construe "42 USC § 300aa-31" with its "more likely than not" evidentiary burden and its Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, Inc, 509 U.S. 579, 113 S.Ct 2786, 2797 (1993), prohibition against expert opinion reliance upon poor quality and flawed data, the surviving good quality data shows the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and/or the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is statutorily required to reject the Vaccines approval since it "more likely than not" caused numerous neurological and immune system pandemics (e.g., autism, neurological disorders, autoimmune disorders, etc). Since the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and/or the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) know of this linking data and intentionally exposed the public to these serous risks of harm, while attempting to hide/alter the data that showed the harm, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and/or the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) also violated the 14th Amendment's "Constitutional Safety Guarantees." Under these egregious and horrifying circumstances, both Sec. 300aa-31 and a 28 USC § 1331 "Bivens Action" would authorize injunctive relief, and where warranted, damages.
15. Jacobson v. Commonwealth of Massachusetts, 197 U.S. 11 (1905), in which the Supreme Court of the United States, prior to the establishment of the Food, Drugs and Cosmetics Act revisions that established Federal pre-emption of drug approvals, gave deference to the Supreme Court of Massachusetts in an involuntary vaccination matter, also contains clear language authorizing Federal intervention in circumstances that are clearly present with regard to the Vaccines involved in this Petition.
"It is easy, for instance, to suppose the case of an adult who is embraced by the mere words of the act, but yet to subject whom to vaccination in a particular condition of his health or body, would be cruel and inhuman in the last degree. We are not to be understood as holding that the statute was intended to be applied to such a case, or, if it was so intended, that the judiciary would not be competent to interfere and protect the health and life of the individual concerned. "All laws," this court has said, "should receive a sensible construction. General terms should be so limited in their application as not to lead to injustice, oppression or absurd consequence. It will always, therefore, be presumed that the legislature intended exceptions to its language which would avoid results of that character. The reason of the law in such cases should prevail over its letter." United States v. Kirby, 7 Wall. 482; Lau Ow Bew v. United States, 144 U.S. 47, 58. Until otherwise informed by the highest court of Massachusetts we are not inclined to hold that the statute establishes the absolute rule that an adult must be vaccinated if it be apparent or can be shown with reasonable certainty that he is not at the time a fit subject of vaccination or that vaccination, by reason of his then condition, would seriously impair his health or probably cause his death."
16. The Acts establishing the authority of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and/or the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) being herein petitioned are also a legal basis for the Petition. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and/or the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) exist to protect the public, within the limits established by the Constitution of the United States of America. However, Article 16 of the original enabling legislation that created the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and/or the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) indicates, in effect, that a primary purpose is to promote, protect and promulgate the pharmaceutical industry.
17. Petitioners note the statute in the derogation of the common law and Constitutional limitations, establishing certain exemptions from liability of Vaccine Injuries, 42 USC 300aa-16 (and the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, there under). This law is further cited as a law that must be strictly construed in favor of patients, guardians, parents and children even if such construction is against the economic interests of the drug industry and other persons exempt there under.
18. Petitioners note that, given the exceptional exemption given to both manufactures of the Vaccines and employees of the Federal Agencies and their designees which purports to eliminate the possibility of redress through the Courts by the public in the event that individuals suffer irreversible harm or death, it is especially important that careful notification and protection be offered to the public in the face of instructions or compulsions to accept the use of the Vaccines which contain ingredients previously rejected for use in the United State and/or never evaluated by the FDA which have been shown in animal studies to cause significant adverse biological response when injected.
19. The total amount that the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program has paid in compensation since its 1989 founding is $1,884,145,255.29, however, this program does not currently list the Vaccines as being ones for which compensation under this program may be had.
See: http://www.hrsa.gov/Vaccinecompensation/statistics_report.htm
20. Basic common law principles prohibit forced acquiescence under duress and limited or intentionally distorted information, as exemplified by the United States Supreme Court decision in the case of Thompson v Western States Medical Centers – 535 U.S. 357 (2002). The Petitioners note with concern that FDA regulation permits a choice under duress upon limited and distorted information such that those refusing the Vaccines in a Pandemic Emergency situation face incarceration/quarantine under Provisional Quarantine regulations in violation of the prohibitions mentioned above against forced acquiescence under duress and limited or intentionally distorted information.
21. Additionally, the Statutes authorizing the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and/or the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) contain general provisions that support the actions requested in this petition. Federal Law includes provisions that grant the responsible persons in the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and/or the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) broad authority to promulgate rules and regulations "necessary to carry out the Act[s]."
22. The Food, Drug and Cosmetics Act (FD&C Act) Mission Statement requires that "…(B) human and veterinary drugs are safe and effective…" (21 USC §393(b)(2)). The Act had been amended repeatedly, to require that no drug be approved unless it is proven "safe and effective."
This clear legal requirement is explained by the Agency on its web site:
"In October 1962, Congress passed the Kefauver-Harris Drug Amendments to the Federal FD&C Act. Before marketing a drug, firms now had to prove not only safety, but also provide substantial evidence of effectiveness for the product's intended use. Temple says, "That evidence had to consist of adequate and well-controlled studies, a revolutionary requirement."
"Also critically, the 1962 amendments required that the FDA specifically approve the marketing application before the drug could be marketed, another major change." The Kefauver-Harris Drug Amendments also asked the Secretary to establish rules of investigation of new drugs, including a requirement for the informed consent of study subjects. The amendments also formalized good manufacturing practices, required that adverse events be reported, and transferred the regulation of prescription drug advertising from the Federal Trade Commission to the FDA."
See: http://www.fda.gov/AboutFDA/WhatWeDo/History/ProductRegulation/PromotingSafeandEffectiveDrugsfor100Years/default.htm
23. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and/or the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) should issue the actions requested herein as an Interim Final Rule without first completing Notice and Comment, Risk Assessment, and Cost-Benefit Analysis. Additionally, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and/or the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) should not issue the drug-industry requested vaccine approvals as an emergency matter.
24. Under ordinary circumstances, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and/or the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) must comply with procedural requirements under the Administrative Procedures Act (APA) and the specific Acts authorizing the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and/or the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), including the use of notice-and-comment rulemaking and the completion of a risk assessment and cost-benefit analysis before issuance of a new rule. However, both Acts provide for exceptions to those requirements for circumstances such as those present here (with regard to the Petitioners herein, but not with regard to the drug-industry applications), where the continuation of current policy (the emergency approval of the Vaccines) would constitute an imminent threat to public safety and any delay in the policy-making the Petitioners herein would be contrary to the public interest.
25. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and/or the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) should only avail itself of those statutory exceptions with regard with Petitioner's request herein and promulgate the requested policies while first providing the public with reasonable notice under these circumstances and an opportunity for comment and before completing a full risk assessment and cost-benefit analysis. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and/or the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) should first adopt the policy as an "interim-final rule," which would become binding upon publication (or within a time certain; for example, a week after publication) and subsequently provide for public comment and complete its risk assessment and cost-benefit analysis. If such a time period is provided for public comment and the completion of risk assessment and cost-benefit analysis, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and/or the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) should make no declaration, take no action, approve no product or Vaccine related to this situation during such period.
26. The Requested Actions of Petitioners herein satisfy the "good cause" exception to the Administrative Procedure Act's (APA) requirement for notice and comment, while the application of that exception should not apply to the Vaccine applications.
27. The Administrative Procedures Act (APA) provides that full notice-and-comment rulemaking is not required when an agency "for good cause finds (and incorporates the finding and a brief statement of the reasons therefore in the rules issued) that notice and public procedure thereon are impracticable, unnecessary, or contrary to the public interest." 5 U.S.C. Section 553(b)(B) The good cause exception "is an important safety valve to be used where delay would do real harm." United States Steel v EPA, 595 F.2d207, 214 (5th Cir. 1979). According to the legislative history of the provision, "impracticable" means a situation in which the due and required execution of the agency functions would be unavoidably prevented by its undertaking public rule-making proceedings." S. Rep. No. 752, 79thCong., 1st Sess., at 16 (1945). It has been held, determining "impracticality" requires analysis in practical terms of the particular statutory-agency setting and the reasons why agency action could not await notice and comment. American Transfer & Storage Company v. ICC, 719 F. 2d 1283, 1295 (5th Cir. 1983).
28. The same urgency which motivates the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and/or the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to move forward with excessive rapidly and inappropriate zeal, in the light of an alleged pandemic threat (declared despite the mild nature of the supposed pandemic disease) should motivate the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and/or the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to move forward with the measures proposed by Petitioners herein to protect both the public's welfare and their right to fully informed consent and transparency.
29. Below are listed three of numerous instances in which courts have upheld an agency's decision to invoke the "good cause" exception and issue a rule without providing notice and comment where a delay would threaten public safety or the environment. See: Hawaii Helicopter Operators Ass'n v. FAA, 51 F.3d 212, 24 (9th Cir. 1995) (good cause exception satisfied in view of "the threat to public safety reflected in an increasing number of helicopter accidents"); Northern Arapahoe Tribe v. Hodel, 808 F.2d741, 750-52 (10th Cir. 1987) (good cause exception satisfied in view of urgent need for hunting regulations where herds were threatened with extinction); Northwest Airlines v. Goldschmidt, 645 F2d 1309, 1321 (8th Cir. 1981) (good cause exception satisfied in view of urgent need to allocate landing slots at major airport).
30. The rationale underlying those decisions is that compliance with time-consuming procedural requirements would "do real harm" by delaying implementation of urgently needed policies to safeguard public health. Swine Flu causes a disease of low virulence and pathogenicity so that the need for current Agency displays of overwhelming haste in their approval is not present, but the Vaccines contain never-before-approved adjuvants and known toxins so that the need for caution in their approval is very much present. Clearly, the exigent circumstances necessary to satisfy the Administrative Procedures Act's (APA's) good cause exception are present with regard to Petitioner's concerns as set forth in the Factual Basis for Relief. They are not present with regard to the Vaccine approval applications. On the contrary, such approval would harm the public health.
Factual Basis for Relief
31. Vaccinations cause well-known and foreseeable harm. Autism, neurological damage, Guillian Barré syndrome, post vaccination Encephalitis, asthma, coma, juvenile ALS, adult ALS, oil-in-water adjuvant-induced poly arthritis, dermatitis, fibromyalgia, fatigue, malaise, death and other known consequences of vaccine injury are not generally reversible and the present danger from the Vaccines to children and adults is so great that the "good cause" exception referenced above is well warranted in this case. Consumers are being defrauded while children and others are being irreversibly damaged. Once a child collapses into autism, for example, there is a virtually irreversible path which the child and family follow, often leading to eventual institutionalization. These are, in most cases, preventable tragedies. The probable harm is immediate and irreparable.
32. In order to redress the perceived harm, there are several procedural matters that should be addressed by Agency Rule or Court interpretation. These are the need for:
(1) Clear and prominent Warnings as specified elsewhere herein,
(2) Due-process compliant procedures for opting out of involuntary vaccinations,
(3) Sound information to support informed consent if the vaccination is truly voluntary, and
(4) Due-process compliant procedures required to involuntarily isolate or quarantine any person who refuses to take an involuntary vaccine, or for anyone who for voluntary reasons refuses to take a vaccine.
33. Medical ethics, United States law regarding medical experimentation and treatment, and international legal standards require nothing less. These international legal standards are among the international standards the Agency pledged to harmonize to in a notice published in the Federal Register of October 11, 1995 (60 FR 53078), "FDA articulated its policy regarding the development and use of standards with respect to the harmonization of various national and international regulatory requirements and guidelines…"
See: http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~lrd/fr970707.html
34. Similarly, if the H1N1 "Swine Flu" vaccination results are similar to the 1976 "Swine Flu" vaccination panic, hundreds will die (more than are alleged to have died from the 2009 "Swine Flu") and hundreds of thousands or more will be injured. If the Vaccines, with their squalene adjuvant, are as deadly as the experimental squalene Anthrax Vaccine mandated for United States soldiers during the First Gulf War, hundreds of thousands will be hospitalized due to vaccine adverse reactions with tragic consequences to them and enormous preventable financial burdens on the healthcare system.
35. The Petitioners append to this Petition further supporting materials as Appendix B – these address:
1.	Epidemics Timeline – Andrew Maniotis, Ph.D
2.	Voluntary vs Mandatory – Rima E. Laibow, MD
3.	Legal Article: Basis for Injunction – Kent R. Holcome
4.	Your Right to Self Shield – Ralph Fucetola, JD
5.	Access to Representative Data Unfavorable to Petitioners
Actions Requested from Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
and/or the Centers for Disease Control (CDC)
36. Therefore the Petitioners request the following redress of grievances:
(a) The first action sought is an emergency Temporary Stay of the pending Vaccine approval applications. The applications should be denied. Petitioners request a Public Hearing. Petitioners are in immanent peril of irreparable harm if the Temporary Stay is not granted immediately.
(b) Additionally, the Petitioners petition the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and/or the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to open and accept public comments and include, as part of any approval of the Vaccines, requiring strong warnings to the publics of each age groups, geographic location and any other relevant demographics, that a process be developed for individuals to opt out of any mandatory program and that clear instructions be given on the risk and benefits of the vaccine:
"This Vaccine has not undergone adequate FDA safety or efficacy testing and its risks are unknown in all age groups. This Vaccine contains ingredients previously rejected for use in the United State and/or never evaluated by the FDA which have been shown in animal studies to cause significant adverse biological response when injected." Additionally, there is no legal mechanism, such as the VICP, which will provide compensation for those who may be foreseen to be injured by the Vaccines.
(c) Furthermore, the Petitioners petition the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and/or the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to recommend to all implementing agencies, such as State Departments of Health that the Vaccines not be subject to any legal mandate requiring their use by any class of persons in order for such persons to receive government services, or to work in particular employments, or to travel or to attend any public places or for any other purpose.
(d) The Petitioners petition the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and/or the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to recommend to all implementing agencies, such as State Departments of Health that these uninsurable, unproven and untested Vaccines not be subject to any legal mandate, whether direct or indirect, perceived or actual, requiring their use by any class of persons in order for such persons to receive government services, such as schooling, or to work in particular employments, such as first responders or health care workers, or to travel or to attend any public places or for any other purpose.
Wherefore the undersigned certifies that to the best of his knowledge and belief the factual statements made herein are true, complete and not intentionally misleading.
The undersigned certifies, that, to the best knowledge and belief of the undersigned, this petition includes all information and views on which the petition relies, and that it includes representative data and information known to the Petitioner which are unfavorable to the petition.
August 17, 2009 (Rev.1.01 – 08.23.09)
Initial Petitioners Listed on Appendix A
Ralph Fucetola JD
Natural Solutions Foundation Trustee, on behalf of all Petitioners
Express Mail: EO 964 064 326 US – 0144 4000 0332 0857
Revision by email to: [redacted]@fda.hhs.gov
Appendix A – Signatories
Gary Null, PhD – Human Nutrition & Public Health Science
Dr. Tedd Koren, DC – Foundation for Health Choice
Hatfield, PA 19440
Albert N. Stubblebine III – (Maj Gen. US Army Ret.) President
Maryville, Missouri 64468
Rev. Dr. Robert H. Sorge – Pastor of Abunda Life Center
Asbury Park, New Jersey 07712
Rev. Kathy A. Greene, BARA – Chair of LifeSpirit Center
Newton, New Jersey 07860
Alan Phillips, J.D., VaccineRights.com
Karen Horbatt – President – Institute for Health Research
Summit, NJ 07901-1826
Appendix B – Articles
1.	Andrew Maniotis, Ph.D – How to Predict an Epidemic Timeline
http://drrimatruthreports.com/?p=3198
2.	Rima E. Laibow, MD – Truth and the Ministry of Lies
3.	Kent R. Holcome – Basis for Injunction
http://www.medicalveritas.com/man1925_1936.pdf
4.	Ralph Fucetola JD: Your Right to Self Shield
5. Unfavorable Data:
21 C.F.R. 10.30 includes a form of Certification, as used in this Petition, which requires Petitioners to set forth "representative data and information known to the petitioner which are unfavorable to the petition" In fulfillment of this requirement, Petitioners cite the Government's own web site on Vaccine Safety which includes a representative sample of opinions contrary to those of Petitioners:
http://www.fda.gov/BiologicsBloodVaccines/SafetyAvailability/VaccineSafety/ucm133806.htm
Addendum 1.01
Requirements under 21 C.F.R. 10.30 (Citizens Petition)
A. Action requested
The Petitioners request the five specific actions set forth in Paragraph 36 of the Petition.
B. Statement of Grounds
The Legal and Factual Statement of Grounds is found in Paragraphs 8 through 35 of the Petition.
C. Environmental Impact/Exemption
The impact of the granting of the five specific relief actions requested herein will not have any measurable effect on the current environment. This Petition should therefore be exempt under 21 C.F.R. 25.31 (Human drugs and biologics).
D. Economic Impact
This decision will impact the economy as follows:
1.	May limit upside profit potential of the vaccine makers and others who will profit from the sale of uninsured, un-tested-for-safety and unproven vaccines to the public.
2.	Will reduce the cost to the economy of the lost productivity and other costs of persons who will suffer foreseeable harm from the vaccines.
3.	Since the effectiveness of the vaccines are not proven, it cannot be determined what economic benefit may occur from any alleged immunization effect.
Requirements under 21 C.F.R. 10.35 (Stay of Action)
A. Decision Involved
The Center for Biological Evaluation and Research (CBER) pending "Swine Flu"- A-H1N1-09 Vaccine Approvals under the Public Health Service Act, Biological Products:
Section 351(d) (Section 262 of Consolidated Title 21): "Licenses for the maintenance of establishments for the propagation or manufacture and preparation of products described in Subsection A of this Section may be issued only upon a showing that the establishment and the products licenses desired standards, designed to assure the continued safety, purity, and potency of such products, prescribed in regulations, and licenses for new products may be issued only upon a showing that they meet such standards."
B. Action Requested.
Per Paragraph 36 (a) of the Petition: "an emergency Temporary Stay of the pending Vaccine approval applications. The applications should be denied. Petitioners request a Public Hearing. Petitioners are in immanent peril of irreparable harm if the Temporary Stay is not granted immediately. "
Categories : Blog / Vlog, Citizen's Petition, Disinformation, Legislation to Support, Self-Shield, Vaccination


Care group promotes 'Grow Your Own Talent'
Claims that the success of an enterprise is boosted by nurturing home-grown talent have been validated with the recent promotion to senior roles of two key staff members, Kerry Libby and Sam Collier, and the creation of a new head office post for former employee Matt Butcher by care-provider the Regard Group.
The organisation has expanded significantly over the past three years, due to a combination of organic growth, new service openings, a merger with ACH and, just last month, the acquisition of Shropshire care group Adelphi Care Services. Regard supports people with learning disabilities, mental health needs and acquired brain injuries through specialist residential and supported living services.
Kerry Libby joined as a service manager in 2001, rose through the ranks to locality manager in 2007, and is now regional director for the South and South West area.
Kerry said: "I've always been well supported by Regard and given the right opportunities to develop in each role. People have recognised what I was capable of and have supported me so that I could make progress.
"Some of the people we support have very complicated needs. It's so rewarding to know that we're supporting them to live their lives to the full, and equally rewarding – now that I work at a more senior level – to support the staff teams working in the services to develop their own care skills and professional development."
Sam Collier joined Regard nearly three years ago as a locality manager, was made regional director for Kent and East Sussex in May 2016, and is now responsible for the whole of London and the South East.
Sam said: "My employer has taken the time to invest in me, recognise my individual strengths and create opportunities for me to progress through the organisation.
"I find my job very rewarding and it's great to work for a provider that strives to deliver the very best quality of service to the people we support. We work hard to ensure mechanisms are in place for those working at the frontline to ensure we deliver that quality."
A third new appointment goes to former health and social care recruitment consultant Matt Butcher, who started his career in the care sector 22 years ago with three years as a support worker at a Regard service in Kent, and has now returned to work out of the organisation's head office in Kingston upon Thames as their first corporate senior recruitment advisor.
Matthew Butcher
Matt said: "My role is UK-wide – we now have 159 services across England and Wales – and at the moment I'm working with 16 homes with multiple vacancies, plus new acquisitions and new builds, which is a big responsibility, but I love what I'm doing and am passionate about recruiting the right candidates.
"What has amazed me is that during my induction I revisited some of the Regard services I knew from my early career to recognise some of the same people – individuals who have reached their optimum level of independence – still happily living there after 20 or more years.
"Progress in the care sector in the intervening decades has been phenomenal, but what is still obvious – and always was – is how Regard's staff all buy into the same set of values, and how their passion for providing the best possible quality of life for the people they support is evident in everything they do."


Interim president vows sweeping reform at BCCC
By Reginald Fields
Richard M. Turner III, introduced yesterday as interim president of Baltimore City Community College, promised quick, sweeping changes at the academically troubled school.
"Will I make some changes?" Turner asked during remarks to faculty and staff on the Liberty Heights Avenue campus. "You bet I will."
Later, in response to a question from a reporter, Turner said he would work quickly and suggested he might offend some people with his decisions.
"I guess because I'm only here for a year, I can upset the apple cart upfront," said Turner, who said he would be willing to listen and invited school employees to make appointments with him if they wanted to talk.
There is a lot to discuss at BCCC these days, a school whose leadership has been in turmoil for more than a year. Former President Sylvester E. McKay clashed regularly with the board of trustees and quit in May. A recent report from the nonprofit Abell Foundation sharply criticized BCCC for ineffective leadership and dismal student performance.
Since 1999, the school has had the lowest rate in Maryland for students receiving an associate's degree or moving on to a four-year institution. Faculty morale is low. And state lawmakers have joined a growing chorus of observers calling for the school to show improvements.
That responsibility now falls to Turner, a 68-year-old higher education consultant from Southfield, Mich., who agreed to a one-year contract while a permanent president is sought.
Turner has held executive posts at 10 colleges or universities in his career, including at BCCC in the 1970s. He said he has read news accounts of the school's problems. "I think my experience with problem-solving will help," he said.
James E. Harris Sr., president of the board of trustees, said Turner's hiring was a reaffirmation "of our commitment to achieving our mission" of producing students who can be successful at four-year schools and in the workplace.
In a related matter, representatives of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, which represents some BCCC staffers, met yesterday with state Sen. Ralph M. Hughes to discuss their concerns. The union has released a report calling on state officials to improve labor relations at the school and increase oversight of its board of trustees.


Star Trek Generations and the end of cinema
Entertainment Geekly ponders television, film, and everything in between
Darren Franich
By Darren Franich Updated June 10, 2016 at 10:37 PM EDT
2016 marks the 50th anniversary of the Star Trek franchise – and the release of Star Trek Beyond, the 13th feature film in the series. To celebrate this big year, and ponder the deeper meanings of Trek's first half-century, the Entertainment Geekly column will look at a different Star Trek film each week, from now till Beyond. This week: Kirk meets Picard. Earlier this week: The end of the Cold War, masterfully rendered via Klingons. Next week: The Borg.
One of the first Star Trek episodes I ever watched was the series finale of The Next Generation. Which is just so completely not the way you are supposed to watch a TV show.
And, looking back 22 years later, it is an especially strange way to approach that specific finale. "All Good Things…" ran 105 minutes across two parts – not counting commercials, which I almost certainly watched, times being what they were. It cuts between three distinct time periods of Next Generation lore, which means there are three distinct versions of almost every major cast member. Next Generation was never a serialized show – though it had cliffhangers and running threads and the occasional intra-crew romance – but "All Good Things…" is a finale in the modern sense, sewing together plotlines from several seasons, ending a story that harkens back to Next Generation's first adventure.
The problem: Picard has come unstuck in time, Billy Pilgrim-style. He flashes back to his first mission as Enterprise captain, which means much of the episode is a rewrite over the series premiere, which means the episode assumes you have some general fluency with notions like "Tasha Yar" and "Beardless Riker." Picard is also flashing forward to a future rife with sidelong storylines that nod to some of Next Generation's central concepts: Riker-as-ambitious-careerist, the Schrödinger's cat-ness of Picard and Crusher's infinite almost-romance, the implicit promise that someday LeVar Burton could take off that damned visor.
And while we're hopping along the space-time continuum, we are also frequently standing aside it: Much of the series finale is about Picard talking to Q, the godlike Gazoo who asks big questions about existence and can bring you back to the dawn of existence just to prove a point. (Q is God if God was a rich brat who loved Terrence Malick.) So "All Good Things…" requires you to understand three distinct variations of Next Generation reality, and also assumes you'll roll with it when the tabletop of that reality gets flipped on its head.
"All Good Things…" is, in short, not the episode anyone would recommend starting with. Theoretically, I should have been confused. But I loved it. Somehow, writers Brannon Braga and Ronald D. Moore threaded a perfect knot: They wrote an episode that builds on years of franchise lore, but which never assumes all that lore is more important than telling a good story. "All Good Things…" stands on its own, the way a great episode used to, when TV was episodic. It also stands on its own, the way we used to assume a movie was supposed to.
Helping matters: Patrick Stewart, who plays Modern Picard, Future Picard, Modern Picard Pretending To Be Past Picard, Modern Picard Inside Of Future Picard, and a few other radically different existential modalities. Stewart had back-up: The Next Generation cast members, who always seemed game for anything. Michael Dorn knew Worf only got cooler when the show made him look goofy; Jonathan Frakes maybe preferred playing Riker as a prick; "Data Wears Wacky Clothes" was an emergency button in the writers' room. Most of the lead cast had been with Next Generation since the beginning, which means that, together, they had survived a difficult beginning, and had joined together while the show gradually climbed to healthy ratings, critical approval.
"All Good Things…" is a perfect thing, I think. It rewards fans, but in its sheer ambition – its hell-for-leather, one-last-time rapacious desperation to fit in everything; the whole sweep of a man's life; the meaning of Man's journey through time; the cosmic confusion of whatever life is – the series finale transcends even the trappings of its own show. If you want to show someone what Star Trek can be – if you want to show them what television can be, what entertainment can be, WHAT HUMANITY CAN BE!!!! – you show them "All Good Things…"
We should not forget there is the whole ongoing concern around the show – frequent episode director Winrich Kolbe, producer Rick Berman, man-who-was-Q John de Lancie, the costume designers, the production designers, makeup people, cameramen, whatever – who all deserve some credit for how this episode turned out so well.
Kudos to them all. That same year, they made the worst Star Trek movie ever.
Feel free to disagree, or to say that it's too close to call. Search for Spock ain't great, and more horrors await ahead. Truthfully, I don't want to relitigate Star Trek Generations. (ASIDE: If we're to believe the lawyers representing Paramount/CBS in the Axanar lawsuit, Star Trek Generations has no colon, which actually makes a certain amount of sense if you choose to read "Star Trek" as a two-word adjective, while the current no-colon films use Trek as a verb. END OF ASIDE.) Moore and Braga are both successful enough to look back on the film with bracing honesty. In an interview two years ago with Yahoo TV, Braga said, "There were many masters to serve on that movie. And quite frankly, I don't think it had a good concept driving it." After happily participating in the film, William Shatner launched an implicit broadside on the movie's central conceit – Captain Kirk's Last Ride! – by reviving his character in a series of books where Kirk fights gods and Emperors and Romulans and Kirk. The whole Next Generation cast would soon reunite for First Contact, a better movie in every way simply because First Contact is not Generations.
Truthfully, I don't want to nitpick. Yes, Generations wastes every good opportunity baked into its premise. Picard was always so different from Kirk, but the film briefly focuses on some vague notion that they're the same archetype – great hero, no time for family – but even that commonality doesn't really matter, since their great act of collaboration is to punchfight with Malcolm McDowell. Yes, Generations is a structural mess: Endless prologue, middle muddled with go-nowhere subplots, a final act that depends on an unconvincing godlike space-dust thing in a film franchise that never does well with godlike space-dust things. Yes, the film so misunderstands the nature of its own iconography that the first meeting of Kirk and Picard is first and foremost an opportunity to showcase William Shatner, Mountain Man:
If you want to debate the specific failures of Generations, check out this week's Vidiots Video Store Show, where two grown men spend over an hour yelling about trilithium and space-ribbons and the cruciality of bad Deanna Troi scenes and the narrative ethics of killing Picard's nephew in an off-screen fire.
Let's leave Generations alone, for a moment, and ask a simple question: What makes a movie different from a TV show? Or, to ask a simpler question: What makes "All Good Things…" so much more complete of a thing than Generations?
There are several hundred ways to answer that question, some of them outdated and all invariably asterisked with "generally speaking." Movies play in movie theaters and TV shows play on television – but plenty of people don't go to the theater, and many fine films go straight to VOD, and at least one generation of humans has maybe stopped watching TV shows on television.
Movies do cost more, usually, and usually have a longer production cycle. There are obvious exceptions: Shane Carruth's Primer is one of the best movies ever made, and probably cost the lighting budget of a Next Generation episode. But let's accept that the longer-and-costlier paradigm applies here. In that Yahoo interview, Moore recalls (with some bemusement) that "All Good Things…" took a month to write while the Generations script took a year. And, by a conservative estimate, Generations cost around $30 million more than "All Good Things…" – although some of the finale's cost was presumably amortized into the 26 episodes comprising the seventh season of Next Generation, and anyhow, any serious study of money in Hollywood invariably must conclude that our whole financial system is a fragile illusion.
We have already established that more money does this franchise no favors. (How To Make a Good Star Trek Movie, In Two Simple Steps: 1. Hire Nicholas Meyer. 2. Cut his budget in half.) Generations uses the added budget on more special effects – most notably the Enterprise crash scene – but also on location shoots. In the climax of the film, Malcolm McDowell – playing the kind of mad scientist who says things like, "You must think I'm quite the madman" – builds a rocket launchpad on a rocky planet.
This set was built in Nevada's Valley of Fire, and some of the shots in that sequence are really quite beautiful – although it's the kind of beauty where you look past the actors and admire the lovely, lovely mountains. And I almost think you could even say there are are shots that are "beautiful" like nothing in Next Generation was ever beautiful, that are visually "stupendous" even if the staging is so flat:
Does that beauty make this scene "better" than anything in Next Generation? God, no. Picard arrives at that set around the one-hour mark, and the movie hangs out there forever, even though nothing happens until the same thing happens twice. There's a force field Picard can't get through, so he sits around. Stewart, as aforementioned, is a fine actor, and this is what it looks like when a fine actor has to spend a considerable portion of a movie sitting around waiting for the movie to happen:
Generations has two climaxes, both of them expensive the way no TV show in the '90s could ever be expensive. The Enterprise crashes into a planet – one of the last great pre-digital effects created by ILM. But the final three-way duel between Soran, Kirk, and Picard was maybe more time-consuming, requiring copious reshoots and some elaborate work across collapsing bridges and rocky hills. Absolutely nothing in that three-way duel is remotely effective, and maybe that tells us something about this movie and TV problem. A lot of action scenes in Next Generation look pretty silly – but part of the show's brilliant renaissance was to steer away from that skid, to make a series more interested in personalities and thoughtful concepts than fightin' man frontier action.
Oddly, probably accidentally, the whole conceit of Generations is an explicit counter-attack on what defined Next Generation. Picard the cerebralist must beam down to a planet where he's called upon to be an action hero; instead of outwitting the bad guy, he calls upon man-of-action Kirk to help him physically overcome Soran. Never mind the fact that none of these fine 50-plus actors look particularly physically threatening. Film can make you believe anything. (Film can make you believe William Shatner has a full head of hair.) But this film sends Patrick Stewart crawling through a rock crevasse and demands him to pretend to be "trapped."
But this is the anxiety of Generations, and it dates back to The Motion Picture, and it hasn't gone away in the last couple movies. How do you take this thing that was a TV show and make it into a movie? This anxiety sometimes leads directors to bigness of style (Motion Picture's huge sets and gloriously endless special effects sequences) or a hugeness of emotional substance (Kirk's dead son = Picard's dead nephew).
Generations is the first Trek movie to begin with a true action scene – not a fake-out Kobayashi Maru ship fight, an actual space adventure with Kirk jumping through engine corridors and a space nebula-thing crackling energy over exploding spaceships. And Generations ends with a climactic hand-to-hand action sequence – a more elaborate sequence than Kirk kicking the Klingon in Search for Spock. Actually, the Generations climax is a recognizable predecessor to the climactic scenes of Trek '09 (Kirk fights the bad guy while someone else overloads the bad guy's technological whatever) and to the final action scene in Into Darkness (Kirk "dies," leaving his brainy co-hero to take on the bad guy).
But weirdly, none of this makes Generations feel "bigger," nor particularly "cinematic." There are expensive things happening onscreen – but nothing matches the moment in "All Good Things…" when Admiral Riker's future-Enterprise triumphantly decloaks, a special effect that doesn't look as good as the effects in Generations but which unquestionably looks a hundred million times better.
The Star Trek movies seem to get smaller when they try to get bigger. Maybe that is a lesson about movies – and maybe it's a lesson for TV shows, too. I very much enjoy Game of Thrones, a show which has filmed very cold actors fighting fake ice zombies on real ice glaciers – yet nothing Game of Thrones has done has ever felt half as genuinely freezing as the scene in Sopranos hall-of-fame episode "Pine Barrens" where Christopher and Paulie huddle for warmth in the carcass of a van and almost kill each other out of frozen madness.
Maybe Kirk and Picard needed something like that: More huddling, less battling. Maybe you could have switched all the time and money from "All Good Things…" to Generations, and the quality would have swapped, too. Lacking the budget for an action scene, Kirk and Picard would have actually gotten to talk for a little while; required by Faustian bargain to show more space battles, "All Good Things…" would've had a 10-minute spaceship crash, would've reduced Q to a cameo, would've maybe chopped off a whole timeline.
And so there are lessons to take away from Generations, and the series finale that preceded it. Bigger isn't better. Faster isn't better. "More explosions" aren't better. This summer's Star Trek Beyond reportedly cost $150 million, making it roughly one Star Trek Generations cheaper than Into Darkness. That might be good news. In Star Trek – in television, in movies – less really is more.


Home > Quebec's TCH
Montreal - Downtown Architecture & Attractions on the Trans-Canada Highway
Downtown Montral is home to a condensed cluster of attractions, archicture, historical buildings, churches and museums.
1260 de La Gauchetière Street West
Montréal, Québec, H3B 5E8
Bonaventure / Lucien-L'Allier METRO
Built in 1996, the Bell Centre is the home of the Montréal Canadiens Hockey Club, seeting more than 21,000 sports fans. It is also a venue for rock concerts, classical music performances and family entertainment. Guided tours available. Admission: $0.00 to 6.00 Children, $6.00 Students, $8.00 Adults, $6.00 Senior Citizens, $5.50 Groups.
BNP Tower - Laurentian Bank Tower
1981 McGill College Avenue
Montréal, Québec,
McGill METRO
These twin towers, with tinted blue glass curtain-walls, form a stunning modern complex. Dominating its esplanade is a tall sculpture entitled "The Illuminated Crowd" by artist Raymond Mason. Architects: Webb, Zerafa, Menkès, Houdsen Partnership
Complexe Desjardins
150 Sainte-Catherine Street West
(514) 845-INFO (4636) Fax: (514) 281-6642
Place-des-Arts / Place-d'Armes METRO
One hundred and ten stores and restaurants, as well as a grocery store surround an immense public square where many events are held year round. Located in the heart of downtown, cultural events and the underground city, Complexe Desjardins also gives direct access to the Hyatt Regency Montréal hotel. Open: to 5 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 5 p.m.
Cours Mont-Royal
1455 Peel Street
Montréal, Québec, H3A 1T5
Peel METRO
Built in 1922, the 1,100-room Mount Royal Hotel was the largest in the British Empire. This elegant building, highlighted by fine interior décor, is now part of a multipurpose complex housing boutiques, restaurants, apartments and offices.
Dorchester Square - Place du Canada
Corner of Peel Street and René-Lévesque Blvd.
Peel / Bonaventure METRO
Oases of greenery in the very heart of Montréal, stretching on either side of René-Lévesque Blvd., Dorchester Square and Place du Canada are lined by churches and superb older buildings, as well as more recent ones. This Square was formerly the site of the Montréal Catholic Cemetery, between 1799 and 1854. Today, the north part of this park is the point of departure for Bus City Tours.
999 University Street
Montréal, Québec, H3C 5H7
The world headquarters of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a specialized agency of the United Nations, is here in Montreal. The complex features a 15-storey office tower, a five-storey conference centre, and a six-storey skylit atrium. Outside the Atrium entrance is a sculpture by the Québec artist Marcelle Ferron entitled "Le Miroir aux alouettes".
Le 1000 de La Gauchetière
Montréal, Québec, H3B 4W5
Bonaventure METRO
This 205-metre (672 feet) high building dominates the Montréal skyline with its 51 floors. Its quiet elegance and rich materials exemplify a new architectural philosophy. The indoor skating rink is set within an exceptional domed, sky-lit exhibition hall.
Le 1250 Boulevard René-Lévesque
1250 René-Lévesque Blvd. West
Made of granite and glass, the building is renowned for its distinctive forms and the curvature of its east wall.
Sun Life Building
1155 Metcalfe Street
Inaugurated in 1918, this impressive building highlighted by colonnades, long held the distinction of being the largest building in the British Empire. At one point, it represented the power of the Anglo-Saxon establishment in Montréal. This Beaux-Arts style building was used as a safe for the gold reserves of a number of European countries and for the jewels of the British Crown during World War II.
Windsor Station
Corner of Peel and de La Gauchetière West Streets
Bonaventure METROThis train station, whose first phase was completed in 1889, is a fine example of Richardson's Romanesque Revival. At one time, it was the hub of Canada's railway system.
The neo-Gothic Christ Church Cathedral was built between 1857 and 1859, and now stands over an underground shopping gallery, while the post-modern tower beside it was designed to suggest the features of the cathedralt. The Square between the Cathedral and the office tower is dedicated to Raoul Wallenberg, Hero of Humanity, who saved thousands of Jews from Hitler's concentration camps during World War II. Open: Sunday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturday, 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. There is daily worship and a regular schedule of concerts.
L'Église du Gesù
1202 de Bleury Street
Montréal, Québec, H3B 3J3
Place-des-Arts METRO
Église du Gesù ("Jesus" in Italian) is named for the church in Rome where Saint Ignatius Loyola, founder of the Jesuits, is buried. Built in 1865 by the Irish architect Patrick C. Keeley, Église du Gesù is one of the oldest churches in Montréal and was restored in 1984 by the Jesuits, who have maintained the church since it was founded. Open Monday to Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5:15 p.m; Sunday 9 a.m. to noon.
Mary Queen of the World Cathedral
Corner of René-Lévesque Blvd. and Mansfield Street
Inspired by St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, this magnificent Catholic cathedral was built at the end of the 19th century in the heart of what was then the city's Anglo-Protestant sector. Inside, a superb gilded neo-baroque baldachin overlooks the altar, and in the transept, paintings by Georges Delfosse illustrate the beginnings of Montréal. Open: Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.; Sunday, 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Guided visits in summer only.
St. George's Anglican Church
Corner of Peel Street and de La Gauchetière Street West
This neo-Gothic was built in 1870 with superb interior woodwork as well as a tapestry from Westminster Abbey, used at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. Open: Tuesday to Sunday, 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Services on Sundays, at 9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Allow Less than 1 Hour.
St. James United Church
Montréal, Québec, H3B 1B1
This 1889 Gothic-style exterior and Victorian interior church was originally Methodist and now is the largest Protestant church in Montréal. Open: Mid-May to the end of August: Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, worship at 11 a.m. During the summer, free organ concerts are held every Tuesday at 12:30 p.m. Guided tour upon reservation.
St. Patrick's Basilica
460 René-Lévesque Blvd. West
Montréal, Québec, H2Z 1A7
Square-Victoria METRO
"The Irish Church" had its Basilica constructed between 1843 and 1847, evoking the Gothic style of the 14th and 15th centuries, with its huge pine columns, the oak carving in the nave, the carved pulpit and choir-loft.. The Basilica, which was classified a historic monument in 1985 and a national historic site in 1996. Open: Daily, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Masses held daily. Guided tours upon request.
The Church of St. Andrew and St. Paul
Corner of Redpath and Sherbrooke West Streets
Guy-Concordia METRO
This 1932 Presbyterian church is one of the major institutions of Montréal's Scottish community. Its interior is entirely of stone, and a stained glass window overlooking the central altar commemorates soldiers killed in action during World War I.
Canadian Centre for Architecture
1920 Baile Street
Montréal, Québec, H3H 2S6
The CCA is an international architectural research centre and museum founded on the conviction that architecture is a public concern. The CCA has received numerous awards for the integration of its building with the historical 1874 Shaughnessy House. A sculpture garden, designed by artist/architect Melvin Charney, is part of this outstanding place. OPEN: Wednesday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Admission: $0.00 to 3.00 Children, $3.00 Students, $6.00 Adults, $4.00 Senior Citizens, Group rates available.
Jules Saint-Michel, Luthier - Economuseum of violin-making
57 Ontario Street West
Montréal, Québec, H2X 1Y8
Who were the great violin-makers in history, and what was Québec's role in violin-making? Discover the fascinating world of the violin whose form and construction has remained unchanged in 450 years. See the boutique, the workshop and the museum at the same time. Open: Monday to Friday, 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Guided tours for groups with reservation. Admission: $ 3 Children, $ 5 Students, $ 6 Adults
Legends of the Forum
Pepsi Forum Entertainment Centre
2313 Sainte-Catherine Street West
Montréal, Québec, H9A 1L6
Atwater METRO
Located in the old Forum de Montréal, original home for the Montreal Canadiens NHL hockey team, this entertainment centre features "cosmic" bowling on 16 alleys, professional pool tables, an electronic game room and restaurants. Admission charge only for movie theatre.
McCord Museum of Canadian History
The McCord is one of North America's most significant historical institution, with the most important First Nations collection in Québec, the foremost collection of Canadian costumes and textiles, and the Notman photographic archives, unparalleled anywhere in the world. Open Tuesday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed on Monday, except for holidays and during the summer months. Admission: $0.00 to 3.00 Children, $5.00 Students, $9.50 Adults, $7.00 Senior Citizens, $19.00 Families, Special group rates available with reservation.
Montréal, Québec, H3A 2K6
Founded following a bequest from James McGill, a Montréal fur trader born in Glasgow, McGill University received its charter from King George IV in 1821. The downtown campus comprises more than 80 buildings on 80 acres of land.
Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal
Montréal, Québec, H2X 3X5
Canada's only museum devoted exclusively to contemporary art, the Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal is the best possible place to discover the wealth of Québec creativity and the leading international artistic trends. Also houses a boutique, bookstore, garden and restaurant. Open: Tuesday to Sunday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Wednesday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.Admission: $3.00 Students, $6.00 Adults, $4.00 Senior Citizens, $12.00 Families, Group rates available.
Palais des congrès de Montréal (Montréal Convention Centre)
159 Saint-Antoine Street West
Montréal, Québec, H2Z 1H2
Place-d'Armes METRO
The new building of the Palais des congrès was opened in 2002, doubling its area and incorporating a colourful facade of glass with a pink forest inside. The new structure, adds to the existing 1983 edifice and faces west onto Place Jean-Paul-Riopelle. On Saint-Antoine Street, three facades to the west of the original building carefully preserved city history: the 1885 Rogers and King building; the 1908 Fire Station No. 20,; and the 1928 art deco Tramways building.
Redpath Museum, McGill University
(514) 398-4086, ext. 4092 Fax: (514) 398-3185
McGill / Peel METRO
This museum of natural history presents its permanent exhibit: History and Diversity of Québec, including fossils, minerals and zoological specimens. Ther are also ethnology exhibits about Egypt, Africa, and Oceania. Highlights include dinosaurs and mummies. $2 donation suggested for individuals and $1 donation suggested for groups of 15 or more. OPEN: Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. June 25 to August 31 and public holidays: closed on Friday and Saturday.
The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
1379-1380 Sherbrooke Street West
Montréal, Québec, H3G 1J5
(514) 285-2000 Fax: (514) 844-6042 Toll Free 1 800 899-MUSE (6873)
Founded in 1860, The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts is one of Canada's oldest art museums, with an encyclopedic permanent collection, rranging from Antiquity to modern. Free admission to the permanent collection. Open: Tuesday to Sunday and holiday Mondays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Temporary exhibitions (with admission fee): same hours as permanent collection, plus Wednesday evening, (half-price from 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.). Admission: $3.00 Children, $6.00 Students, $12.00 Adults, $6.00 Senior Citizens, $24.00 Families, Group rates available.
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Rich Elliott discusses his book, Runners on Running
Rich Elliott competed at Kansas University from 1968 to 1972, qualifying for the NCAA Division I national meets in both track and cross country. In 1971, he was the Big Eight Conference three-mile champion.
In 1976, Elliott was named Illinois Distance Coach of the Year while working at Willowbrook High School. He moved to Deerfield High School in 1977 and was an assistant coach with the state cross country championship team before becoming the program's head coach for both cross country and track. Elliott coached at the high-school level for 12 years, producing a pair of All-Americans and several all-state athletes. During this time he also wrote The Competitive Edge: Mental Preparation for Distance Running, a book that Track and Field News magazine called "the best work on the subject" and "a modern classic."
Elliott then worked for many years in educational publishing as a textbook editor and technology producer. He returned to coaching from 2008 to 2010 to head the men's and women's cross country teams at Dominican University in River Forest, Illinois. He is now a freelance writer and editor.
Elliott lives in Winnetka, Illinois, with his wife and three children.
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One more: Fleury to replace Rinne at ASG
By Mike HalfordJan 15, 2015, 12:24 PM EST
Busy morning on the All-Star goalie replacement front.
Shortly after the NHL announced Jaroslav Halak would fill in for the injured Jimmy Howard, it revealed that Pittsburgh's Marc-Andre Fleury would head to Columbus in place of Pekka Rinne, who's sidelined with a knee sprain.
This will mark Fleury's second All-Star Game appearance, and it is well deserved. The 30-year-old netminder has posted excellent statistics this season, ranking fourth in the NHL with 22 wins, sixth with a 2.16 goals-against average and seventh with a .926 save percentage. Fleury also leads the league in shutouts, with six.
So, to recap…your 2015 NHL All-Star Game goalies are now Fleury, Halak, Corey Crawford, Sergei Bobrovsky, Roberto Luongo and Carey Price.
Cue Washington fans expressing outrage that Braden Holtby wasn't chosen as a replacement.


FAME & TOLERANCE
CRIPPLED, FLIGHTLESS GEESE
ALARMING DEVELOPMENTS
REFUGE HUNTING
RETURN TO SILVER LAKE
A GIFT FOR SADIA By Marie Fritz Perry
Sadia, a new immigrant to the US, befriends an injured Rochester Canada goose in this heartwarming story.
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LOVE CANADA GEESE HOMEPAGE
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BE THE VOICE FOR THE GEESE OF SILVER LAKE:
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HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF SILVER LAKE, ROCHESTER
Pages 28-29 of the Rochester Visitor, December 18 2006
Earl and I visited Rochester three times in the year 2006, the first two times when Earl was a patient at the world famous Mayo Clinic and the last time, simply to enjoy being in the company of thousands of wintering geese.
We decided to create these pages because it is a sad event when a city that was renowned for preserving the giant Canada goose is now doing everything it possibly can to destroy their habitat. This sends a chilling message for the future of Canada geese worldwide.
During our trips, we picked up the Rochester Visitor guide from our hotel and we have re-printed from their pages the story of the geese of Silver Lake:
MAGICAL SILVER LAKE
HOST TO ROCHESTER'S ANNUAL VISITORS
Silver Lake Park, located at North Broadway and 13th Street, hosts one of Rochester's prize attractions - giant Canada geese. Numbering approximately 30,000 - 35,000 during the peak of fall migration, these geese represent the world's largest winter concentration of the giant Canada.
The saga of the geese at Rochester began in the 1920s and 30s when a small number of migrants returned each fall to Mayowood Lake on the Zumbro River southwest of town. They were attracted there by a flock of captive Canada geese that were maintained at the lakeside home of the Mayo family. Those wild geese were little noticed by area residents.
The long-term use of Silver Lake began in 1947 after a flock of 12 larger geese from Nebraska were released at the lake. These geese, donated by a former Mayo Clinic patient, lured some of the few remaining giant Canada geese to Rochester.
In 1948, after Rochester's new power plant began using Silver Lake for cooling water, the geese started staying on the ice-free lake throughout the winter. The geese began arriving each September, and by late November, they had settled in for the winter. In that first winter an estimated 500 birds stayed the entire winter.
Some people always believed that the Rochester flock was "special", especially because of the large size of the geese. Biologists confirmed that belief in January 1962 when the geese were identified as Branta canadensis maxima (Giant Canada Geese). This subspecies, the largest of 11 races of Canada geese, was believed to be extinct until its rediscovery at Rochester on that cold, wintery day.
Although Giants appear to look similar to other Canada geese, they carry a few distinct differences. The Giant Canada has a longer neck and more massive bill than the other races and it has lighter colored breast and belly plumage. In addition, the average Giant Canada has a greater wingspan (69 to 71 inches) and weight (11 to 14 pounds) than the next largest Canada goose subspecies (the Western C Goose which weighs an average of 8 to 10 pounds).
During the 1970s and 1980s, people questioned whether or not the geese were polluting Silver Lake. An environmental study found that while there is a nutrient "loading" when a large number of geese are present on the lake, the levels of nutrients are a seasonal phenomenon. As part of the study, the public was questioned about the impacts of these geese on the community. Responses were positive and the study concluded: "The waterfowl using Silver Lake are an integral part of the Rochester community with concern for the well-being of the flock expressed nationally and internationally."
- information contributed by Jack Heather, MN Department of Natural Resources.
NOTE FROM LOVE CANADA GEESE:
The city of Rochester is now claiming that the geese are polluting Silver Lake, hence the "need" to destroy their habitat by the establishment of the buffer zone and a No-Feeding ordinance. What has happened to the "seasonal phenomenon" that was mentioned by Jack Heather? Obviously, the truth is no longer convenient for the sleazeballs that run Rochester!
READ AND SIGN THE PETITION.
NEXT: THE FAMOUS GEESE OF SILVER LAKE
SILVER LAKE HOME PAGE
Copyright © 2005-2014 Love Canada Geese. All Rights Reserved.


Illinois daily fantasy sports betting bill shelved
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. -- Legislation to regulate daily fantasy sports betting in Illinois was shelved Sunday after the proposal became mired in vote-buying allegations.
Democratic Rep. Michael Zalewski, one of the bill's sponsors, told colleagues in a House committee Sunday that he would not put the proposal up to a vote before the Legislature adjourns its spring session Tuesday.
"This became a distraction to an unhealthy degree," Zalewski said, without referencing the allegations that another lawmaker made last week.
Democratic Rep. Rita Mayfield had said she became privy to an email in which a lobbyist working for FanDuel and DraftKings suggested he could get support from members of the House Legislative Black Caucus in exchange for contributions to their foundations. Mayfield made the allegation during a hearing on the bill and said she didn't feel comfortable voting on the proposal.
"The email basically alleged that in exchange for considerations, donations, that he could guarantee votes. That's illegal," she said.
During the hearing, Mayfield didn't elaborate on the contents of the email, didn't say who it was sent to, or who showed it to her. She has declined to speak to The Associated Press about it.
A spokesman for FanDuel and DrafKings denied that they participated in the vote-buying overture Mayfield alleged.
"We categorically reject the implication that DraftKings or FanDuel would partake in such behavior. We do not condone this type of activity. It's simply not how we do business, here or anywhere in the country," spokesman Jeremy Kudon said.
The companies supported the legislation in Illinois, where they say 2 million people participate in the games. That makes the Illinois the third-largest market for the contests, according to the Fantasy Trade Association, which represents DraftKings, FanDuel and 300 other operators.
The bill would've set guidelines for who could participate in the contests, barring any company employees and anyone under 21. The bill also imposed taxes and licensing fees.
Several states have deemed the contests illegal gambling and lawmakers nationwide have responded by trying to set regulations.
Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan said in a December advisory opinion that betting through sites like DraftKings and FanDuel is illegal, but to shut the sites down in the state someone would need to challenge their legality in court.
Zalewski said he would continue working on the legislation and trying to convince his colleagues the state needs regulations for the online contests.
In other action Sunday:
- Illinois legislative leaders met again with Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner to try to settle a dispute that has left the state without a budget for 11 months. But there was no progress in negotiations and the chances that they'll find agreement before the Legislature adjourns are slim.
- A House committee endorsed automatic voter registration in Illinois, but the measure will not move to the floor until lawmakers make additional tweaks. The bill's sponsor, Rep. Robyn Gabel, an Evanston Democrat, said she hopes to finalize the changes Monday and get a House vote and Senate concurrence before Tuesday.
The plan would allow residents interacting with state agencies to get automatically registered.
POLITICS SPRINGFIELD BUDGET CUTS ILLINOIS
Gov. Rauner calls for budget compromise by May 31
State party leaders meet with governor on Illinois budget
Illinois Capitol forgoes Christmas lights due to budget crisis


Of What Am I Certain?
Last week, in between Habitat's annual U.S. legislative event, Habitat on the Hill, and the 65th annual National Prayer Breakfast of 3,000 participants from more than 130 countries, Habitat International CEO Jonathan Reckford paused to share this reflection.
Wherever we work, Habitat for Humanity has always sought inclusivity and has often served as a place where people holding disparate views can come together in common cause. In recent days, I have found myself again and again returning to the certainty of Habitat's mission and vision and the faith principles on which we are founded. My hope is that, by revisiting these pillars of strength together for a moment, we may find a collective energy and clarity for today and the days to come.
So of what am I certain?
I am certain of Habitat's vision: a world where everyone has a decent place to live.
I am certain of our mission: Seeking to put God's love into action, we bring people together to build homes, communities and hope. I am certain that:
We are a welcoming and accepting ministry.
We build with people in need of decent housing, regardless of their race or religion.
We welcome volunteers and supporters from all backgrounds.
We work with people of all faiths and people of no faith.
In my own journey of belief, I am also certain of the direction we were given in Matthew 25:40: "'Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.'"
We have a particular heart for the marginalized in our world. Let us never forget that Habitat was born in a place marked by its fierce commitment to the equality of all people and its unfailing devotion to the creation of opportunity for all. People of faith and strong conviction called Koinonia home, living in the shadow of a community that did not understand, welcome -- or in many instances -- tolerate them. And yet, because a small group never failed to put their faith into daily practice, what would become our global housing ministry found its footing and its following. And in 40 years, we have helped provide safe and decent housing for more than 10 million people. The way we approach our work has been a vehicle for reconciliation and has broken down barriers between people. We work alongside those willing to partner with us, no matter their background or walk of life, and that will always be true.
We have chosen, as our means of manifesting God's love, to create opportunities for all people to have decent places to call home. We firmly believe that no matter who we are or where we come from, we all deserve to have a decent life, to feel strength and stability day after day, and to know that we have the power to help build our own futures. In response to Micah's call to do justice, to love mercy and to walk humbly with God — and no matter the daily circumstances we might be called to navigate — we embrace the notion that we are all humans, and that every single one of us deserves an opportunity for a better future.
Finally, we believe that, in faith, respectful relationships can grow among all people, and that, through faith, all things are possible. The uncertainty of today — and tomorrow — will always be with us. The need for our hands, voices, prayers and participation is greater than ever. I pray that, like the wise man who built his house upon the rock, we will each of us hold tightly to our passion for and deep commitment to helping the families with whom we partner and to the unchanging principles outlined above, which I know you share so deeply. Blessings,
Jonathan T.M. Reckford


Space | May 28, 2019
10 Intriguing Theories Of Dark Matter
Despite a wealth of sophisticated experiments and contributions from some of the greatest intellects of our time, the search for dark matter continues. It might account for a quarter of the energy density in the universe, but to date, all attempts at direct detection have proved fruitless.
The enigmatic matter does not absorb or emit light. It also doesn't interact with the three of the four fundamental forces of nature. These elusive properties make it almost impossible to pin down.
Researchers across the globe are itching to uncover the mysteries of dark matter—from the search for WIMPs at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) to the University of Washington's cutting-edge axion detector. While some theories predict the answer will be found in an extra hidden dimension, others prefer black holes and neutron stars.
Despite the lack of direct evidence, the vast majority of astrophysicists still believe that dark matter is out there. Cosmic phenomena like the rotation of galaxies cannot be explained through traditional physics unless a hidden form of matter is present.
10 Weakly Interactive Massive Particle (WIMP)
Photo credit: forbes.com
For decades, the most popular candidate for dark matter has been the weakly interacting massive particle (WIMP). The hypothetical particle was first dreamed up in the 1970s as an expansion of the traditional Standard Model of particle physics. The theory is that the cosmos is swarming with invisible, neutrally charged particles that came into being shortly after the big bang.
The idea of invisible particles is nothing particularly new. Scientists are already aware of the neutrino—the difficult-to-detect subatomic particle that races across galaxies with a mass fractionally above zero. In comparison, WIMPs are believed to be much heavier and more sluggish, trudging across the sky in dense clumps and intricate structures. That is, if they even exist at all.
Despite a large array of experiments, none of the attempts to find WIMPs have been successful. It was originally thought that the LHC in Geneva would be able to shed light on their existence. But almost a decade after it opened, no evidence has been found. Similarly, the highly sensitive tanks of liquid xenon buried deep under South Dakota discovered nothing in their search, either.[1]
With scientists continually failing to detect these particles directly, hypotheses surrounding WIMPs are now cast in serious doubt. One astrophysicist writing for Forbes Magazine compared the persistent search to a "drunk looking for his lost keys beneath the lamppost."
It would be an oversight to rule out WIMPs altogether. But it looks like scientists have to return to the drawing board and consider alternative theories of dark matter as well.
9 Massive Astrophysical Compact Halo Object (MACHO)
Another less exotic explanation for dark matter is the existence of massive astrophysical compact halo objects (MACHOs). These include black holes, neutron stars, and brown dwarfs—ultracompact stellar objects composed of regular matter. MACHOs cannot be detected using typical methods because they emit little or no radiation.
Instead, these muted giants are observed by studying light from distant stars through a process known as microlensing. Due to their immense mass, MACHOs bend and focus rays of light around themselves, which causes the rays to appear brighter.
The level of distortion depends on the mass of the MACHO. By observing the light, scientists are able to calculate the amount of hidden matter present. However, not enough MACHOs have been found lurking around to account for all the dark matter in the universe. As such, the search for another candidate continues.[2]
8 Axion
Photo credit: arstechnica.com
Axions are predicted to be neutrally charged, slow-moving particles with a mass around a billion times lighter than an electron. Their interaction with light and other matter is relatively weak, which gives cosmologists confidence in their potential to make up dark matter. But it also makes them incredibly difficult to detect.
Only axions from a narrow range of masses are able to constitute dark matter. If they were much lighter or heavier, observations would have been made by now. This limited window of possibility means that the task of ruling the axion hypothesis in or out is relatively simple when compared to other candidates.
The latest attempt to detect axions began in April 2018 when astrophysicists at the University of Washington launched their Axion Dark Matter Experiment (ADMX). According to the theory, when axions pass through a magnetic field, they could be able to decay spontaneously into two photons (individual packets of light).
If axions from the Milky Way are constantly whizzing through the Earth unnoticed, then the ADMX's highly powerful magnet would convert some of them into microwave photons. An incredibly sensitive detector is in place to pick up any photons produced, but so far, no evidence has been reported.[3]
7 Gravitino
Photo credit: futurism.com
The gravitino hypothesis delves deep into the realms of theoretical physics. In the 1960s and 1970s, scientists developed the theory of supersymmetry to explain some of the gaps left by the Standard Model of particle physics.
Supersymmetry predicts that for each particle in the Standard model (e.g., electron, photon, Higgs), there should be a theoretical counterpart. These partner particles share similar properties to the originals except for some fundamental differences in their intrinsic angular momentum.
A separate theory predicts the existence of the graviton—a massless particle that mediates the force of gravity, similar to the photon mediating electromagnetism. Tying these two theories together is the gravitino—the hypothetical supersymmetric partner to the graviton that some physicists believe could constitute dark matter.[4]
6 Kaluza-Klein Particles
Photo credit: universe-review.ca
Our universe is said to be comprised of four dimensions—three spatial dimensions plus time. However, for the last century, scientists have pondered whether more could exist.
Expanding Einstein's groundbreaking theory of general relativity, theoreticians Theodor Kaluza and Oskar Klein predicted a hidden fifth dimension arching across the universe. First published in 1921, their model includes an array of hypothetical particles, the lightest of which is a possible candidate for dark matter.
Due to their interactive nature, the Kaluza-Klein (KK) particles are among only a handful of candidates that could be detected directly. Furthermore, when two KK particles come crashing together, they annihilate each other.
In the melee, particles like photons and neutrinos get fired out. They can be detected due to their distinctive energy patterns. The high-energy LHC continues to search for evidence of an extra dimension and KK particles. But so far, none has been reported.[5]
5 Fuzzy Dark Matter
Photo credit: Live Science
Fuzzy dark matter is a relative newcomer to the lineup of dark matter candidates. The theory first began to find traction around the turn of the century. Before that, only a few pockets of physicists were interested, and even then, they barely communicated with each other.
As such, fuzzy dark matter goes by several different names, each independently put forward by a different research team. Scalar field dark matter, ultra-light axion-like particle, wave dark matter, fluid dark matter, and repulsive dark matter are just a few.
Despite the plethora of names, the theories are all roughly the same. They postulate that dark matter is formed from an immense number of tiny particles with exceptionally low mass. At incredibly cold temperatures, the particles coalesce to form a bizarre type of matter known as a Bose-Einstein condensate. In condensate form, these particles have almost no energy and behave like one cohesive body.
The individual particles have almost no effects on their surroundings. En masse, however, they can distort rays of interstellar light. The amount of distortion depends on the mass of the dark matter particles. Therefore, scientists are able to search for fuzzy dark matter by examining archive data from observatories like the Very Long Baseline Array in New Mexico.[6]
4 Self-Interacting Dark Matter
One of the key frustrations around dark matter is that it refuses to obey scientists' predictions. According to computer-generated models, the substance should structure itself into something known as the "cusp distribution." This theory predicts that dark matter can be found at the heart of a galaxy, some of it concentrated in a dense sphere and the rest lingering around as a vapor.
In reality, cosmologists have observed that dark matter behaves in almost the opposite way: It orbits around the edge of a galaxy in a far-off halo structure. This has been named the "core distribution." From it, the "cusp-core" problem arises.[7]
To explain the cusp-core discrepancies, scientists came up with the theory of self-interacting dark matter. This model proposes that, because it is so mysterious and difficult to understand, dark matter particles interact with each other through forces that physics is currently unable to explain.
However, not everyone is on board with this explanation. Another theory—dark matter heating—suggests that dark matter is propelled from the center of a galaxy by energy and wind created during the formation of stars.
3 Sterile Neutrinos
Photo credit: physicsworld.com
Neutrino research is one of the most fascinating areas of contemporary physics. In 2015, Takaaki Kajita and Arthur B. McDonald were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for demonstrating that neutrinos periodically change "flavor" on their journey across the universe.
Presently, there are only three known "flavors" of neutrino—electron, muon, and tau. All of them are far too speedy to make up dark matter. However, researchers at Fermilab in Illinois are pursuing a fourth flavor and potential dark matter candidate: the sterile neutrino.
Their MiniBooNE experiment scours through intense beams of particles in search of the elusive fourth flavor. The detector consists of a large spherical tank filled with over 800 tons of mineral oil. In 2018, MiniBooNE produced promising results that hint at the existence of sterile neutrinos.[8] However, the MINOS+ experiment results reported in 2019 contradicted the 2018 study. Obviously, there is no consensus yet.
2 Dark Photons
As discussed previously, a photon acts as a single particle of light and mediates the electromagnetic force, one of the fundamental forces of nature. To explain the conundrum of dark matter, some experts have proposed the idea of dark photons—hypothetical force mediators similar to regular photons with extremely low mass.
In fact, some researchers believe that gravitational waves—celestial ripples in the fabric of space and time—could be the key to uncovering these miniscule particles. If dark photons are skulking around the universe, their distinctive signals could be picked up by highly sensitive gravitational wave detectors like LIGO and Virgo.
As scientists eagerly await the launch of the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA)—the first space-based gravitational wave observatory—it seems that we are one step closer to finally pinning down dark matter.[9]
1 Dark Matter Does Not Exist
Photo credit: cosmos.nautil.us
As time rolls on, the lack of evidence for any of the candidates is causing some physicists to wonder if they have made a mistake. Perhaps dark matter does not exist at all. Maybe there is another explanation after all.
One of the most prominent dark matter skeptics is Israeli physicist Mordehai Milgrom, who first proposed his rival theory of Modified Newtonian Dynamics (MOND) in the 1980s. In his maverick paper, Milgrom argues that the traditional physics laid out by Isaac Newton begins to fall apart on an extremely large scale.
If this is true, it completely alters current ideas about stars in the outer reaches of a galaxy. Under MOND, dark matter is not necessary to explain their unusual motion.[10]
So, is dark matter an enormous blunder?
This would not be the first time that physicists have made a mistake on such a large scale. During the 19th century, there was a widely held belief that our universe was brimming with an invisible substance known as luminiferous ether.
For decades, it was thought that ether was needed for rays of light to propagate. Then the pivotal Michelson-Morley experiment of 1887 essentially disproved its existence. In reference to this, Milgrom has described dark matter as "our generation's ether."
Whether dark matter exists and in what form remains one of the great mysteries of modern science. Future evidence might show that all the theories listed here are completely wrong.
On the other hand, we could be within a hair's breadth of a major breakthrough. With every new dark matter detector and every null result, we edge closer to finding the truth.
Read more intriguing ideas about dark matter and dark energy on 10 Ways Dark Matter Could Explain The Universe and Top 10 Theories About Dark Energy.
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