“Mission impossible”: Beaking the speed of light
“Mission impossible”: Beaking the speed of light
(DPA)27 August 2007
HAMBURG – Two German physicists from the University of Koblenz claim to have done the impossible and broken the speed of light.
If their claims are confirmed, they will have proved wrong Albert Einstein’s special theory of relativity, which requires an infinite amount of energy to propel an object at more than 186,000 miles per second.
However, Dr Gunter Nimtz and Dr Alfons Stahlhofen, say they have possibly breached a key tenet of that theory.
They say they have conducted an experiment in which microwave photons – energetic packets of light – travelled “instantaneously” between a pair of prisms that had been moved from a few millimetres to up to one metre apart.
When the prisms were placed together, photons fired at one edge passed straight through them, as expected.
After they were moved apart, most of the photons reflected off the first prism they encountered and were picked up by a detector. But a few photons appeared to “tunnel” through the gap separating them as if the prisms were still held together.
Although these photons had travelled further, they arrived at their detector at exactly the same time as the reflected photons. In effect, they had travelled faster than light.
Dr Gunter Nimtz, one of the physicists from the University of Koblenz, told New Scientist magazine: “This is the only violation of special relativity that I know of.”
The duo say being able to travel faster than the speed of light would lead to a wide variety of bizarre consequences.
For instance, an astronaut moving faster than it would theoretically arrive at a destination before leaving, they said.
The scientists said they were investigating a phenomenon called quantum tunnelling, which allows sub-atomic particles to break apparently unbreakable laws.
“For the time being, this is the only violation of special relativity that I know of,” Dr Nimtz told New Scientist magazine.
Happy Onam
It’s a hot hot sunny day here in Abu Dhabi. Onam 2007 is here and it is being celebrated all over by Keralites today. I take this opportunity to wish all my readers on this special day.
O – Orumayode (with Unity)
N – Nanmayude (with lots of Good will)
A – Agoshangalode (with lots of festivities)
M – Manusharellam (all mankind)
an Onam of joy, peace, happiness, prosperity to all of you.
Wish it rained here in the coming days as the month of Ramadan is nearby and the temperature has to come down a bit to favour all those who religiously follow the holy month.
Team 1 news letter – Onam Special
On behalf of Team 1, I wish all my readers a very happy and prosperous Onam. Please write to us at team1dubai@gmail.com for your special copy of Team 1 Onam special.
Majestic mosque gets finishing touches
Majestic mosque gets finishing touches By Binsal Abdul Kader, Staff Reporter/GULF NEWS Published: August 18, 2007, 00:05
Abu Dhabi: More than 1,500 workers, supervisors, designers and engineers are working feverishly to put the final touches on Shaikh Zayed Mosque, which can accommodate about 40,000 worshippers.
The mosque is scheduled to open at the end of Ramadan for Eid prayers and its main prayer hall can accommodate about 5,000 worshippers, said project manager Khowla Salem Al Sulaimani.
The striking domes of the mosque are reportedly the largest ever built on any mosque.
“Two international Islamic organisations have confirmed it is the third largest in the world,” said Khowla, but notes that its main striking features are its domes, the biggest among any mosque in the world.
The General Secretariat Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC) based in Saudi Arabia, and the Research Centre for Islamic History, Art and Culture in Turkey have confirmed the 22,412 square metre mosque to be the third-largest in the world.
Even before its completion, the Shaikh Zayed Mosque, which cost about Dh2.1 billion, has become famous around the world. A huge chandelier is installed in the main prayer hall. An Iranian carpet will also be placed in the main prayer hall and is the largest hand-woven carpet in the world.
The carpet was woven by about 1,200 Iranian women. The carpet which costs Dh30 million was delivered to Abu Dhabi last week.
The 16.5 metre chandelier was imported from Germany. The seven chandeliers in the mosque cost about Dh30 million.
The main dome which is 87 metres high with a diameter of 32.8 metres, is the largest in the world. While the other 81 domes are of traditional Moroccan design. 
Distinct features
The main door of the mosque is made completely of glass and is 12.2 metres high. The 7 metres wide door weighs about 2.2 tonnes and has beautiful floral designs.
The prayer halls are decorated with Italian white marble and are inlaid with floral designs. Various designs are used for different parts of the mosque.
The courtyard is decorated with white marble from Greece, while its 1,048 columns are being decorated by workers from India, points out Khowla, who is proud to be working on a world famous project.
The outside walls of the Shaikh Zayed Mosque are of traditional Turkish design. Worshippers entering the mosque will get a fantastic view of the entire structure, reflected in the waters surrounding it.
Artificial lakes laden with dark tiles surround the mosque.
The four minarets of the Shaikh Zayed Mosque reach a towering height of 107 metres and can be seen from far off.
“The whole structure is on an elevated position as the foundation has been laid 9.5 metres above ground level,” said the project manager.
Municipal Affairs Department of the Abu Dhabi Municipality is supervising the finishing touches on the Shaikh Zayed Mosque, one of the ten largest mosques in the world.
Director of the Shaikh Zayed mosque project Khowla Al Sulaimani said that the main prayer hall of the mosque is expected to be opened during the final days of the month of Ramadan. The carpet to be spread in the prayer hall arrived yesterday from Iran.
Different colours
The 5,000 square metre carpet is the largest of its kind in the world and is handmade with 35 tonnes of wool and cotton.
Public relations director at the Municipal Affairs Department Mubarak Saif Al Mazroui said that the Shaikh Zayed Mosque is a magnificent addition to Islamic architectural splendour, and will become a landmark in the UAE and the region as a whole.
The main prayer hall under three large domes can accommodate over forty thousand worshippers.
The main prayer hall under three large domes can accommodate over forty thousand worshippers.
Car Roll Over’ simulator will increase seat belt awareness
Car Roll Over’ simulator will increase seat belt awareness
By Joy Sengupta /KHALEEJ TIMES 26 August 2007
DUBAI — The Emirates Driving Institute has introduced the ‘Car Roll Over’ simulator to make drivers realise the importance of using seat belt as a safety measure.
The ‘Car Roll Over’ gives the students an actual feeling and the body movements of the driver when his car turns topsy turvy in an accident, Muhammed Arif, the Advance Driving Instructor and First Lecturer of the Institute, said yesterday.
“The apparatus would also make the people realise the fact that people inside the car have got more chances of survival if they have fastened their seats belts as it holds them tight to the seat in the case of an accident resulting in the car roll over,” he said.
“There are many organsations who have been talking about the importance of seat belts since a long time now. Fines have also been imposed on the violators. But still, there are people who don’t care. A majority of them don’t understand the importance of seat belts. We realised that a practical knowledge about how the belt works would be helpful,” he said. The system had been imported from Volvo, a popular commercial transport solutions based in Sweden.
“This is a whole car. We ask the person to sit in it and then fasten the seat belt. Then we revolve the car upside down. One can easily feel the pressure on the back and the neck when the car is turning,” Arif said.
“But then if one is fastened, the belt does not allow the person to crash out through the windscreen or get thrown in some other corner of the car. This considerably reduces the risk. Also, the air bag coming out from the front after the crash is beneficial only if you are fastened. This apparatus would indeed make people realise the importance of seat belts,” he added.
The official stated that another apparatus, called the ‘Seat Belt Convensor’ was also useful in making people aware. “In this, we try to make people know the kind of impact the car has when it hits something. It is again the seatbelt which does not let the person move out of the seat. Otherwise he can crash out of the car through the windscreen,” pointed Arif.
The official said that soon they would be opening these machines for the common people. “Anyone would be free to come down to the centre and experience this. People should know about the importance of seat belts. Seat belts are life savers,” he emphasised.
Two moons on 27 August
Two moons on 27 August*
*27th Aug the Whole World is waiting for…*
Planet Mars will be the brightest in the night sky starting August.
It will look as large as the full moon to the naked eye. This will
cultivate on Aug. 27 when Mars comes within 34.65M miles of earth. Be
sure to watch the sky on Aug. 27 12:30 am. It will look like the earth
has 2 moons. The next time Mars may come this close is in 2287.
Share this with your friends as NO ONE ALIVE TODAY will ever see it
again.
Between the signals
I was at the signal yesterday and managed to capture these moments. 30 seconds or may be lesser. How fast the Sun is travelling – anyone interested to calculate whether he is over speeding or not. By the feel of the hot weather even at this time of the evening, I felt he was a bit fast.
Parents hard hit by rising stationary cost
Parents hard hit by rising stationary cost
By Daniel Bardsley and Abbas Al Lawati, Staff Reporters /GULF NEWS Published: August 25, 2007, 00:24
Dubai: Many parents say they are finding it difficult to cope with the rising cost of uniforms, stationary, textbooks and all the other things they have to buy for their children every year.
Dr Elizabeth Thomas, 37, a veterinary surgeon from India with two daughters, Evana, eight, and Evita, seven, who both go to an Indian school in Sharjah, said increases in uniform prices had affected her the most.
She estimated that uniform prices had jumped about 10 to 15 per cent during the past 12 months.
“Over the year, the uniform prices have gone higher, there’s no doubt,” she told Gulf News.
“We get the uniforms from school and for the cost you pay, I certainly feel we could get better quality. Material wise, I could get a better shirt for the same price.
“The way things are now in the UAE, it’s really difficult because it’s not just the uniforms, it’s everything.”
Umm Ahmad, an Iraqi whose three children go to private Arabic schools, said uniform prices had gone up.
“Uniform prices have gone up about ten per cent, which is not bad considering that they were not expensive to start with,” she said.
She named the rising cost of tuition fees as more of a headache, saying: “The salaries of many residents of the UAE stay the same while expenses such as this are on the rise. Tuition prices go up every year.”
Armenia, an Indian whose 15-year-old daughter attends an Indian school in Sharjah, said textbook and writing book price rises had been heavy this year.
“Previously, I’ve never had to spend more than Dh200 on books, but this year it was Dh300. That is quite a big jump,” she said.
Back to school with a bang and a sigh
Back to school with a bang and a sigh
By Daniel Bardsley, Staff Reporter/GULF NEWS
Published: August 25, 2007, 00:24
Dubai: The phrase “back to school” has struck fear into the hearts of children for decades, but increasingly, parents as well are beginning to dread the beginning of term.
The reason that mothers and fathers become concerned when the new school year looms is financial: costs of many of the essentials of school life have increased significantly this year.
It is not just the well-documented rises in tuition fees that are causing financial headaches, but also hikes in the price of books, stationery and uniforms.
As reported this month in Gulf News, stationery is now more than twice as expensive as last year for some parents, thanks to increases in the cost of paper and other inflationary pressures.
Parents who used to shell out Dh200 to equip their children with pens, pencils, exercise books and the like now have to pay Dh450.
Increases in the costs of school items are a particular headache to parents already struggling with the rising costs of rent and other major expenses.
Peter Daly, headmaster of Dubai English Speaking College, said textbooks had become much costlier, although in the case of his school, parents do not have to buy them themselves.
“Textbooks are now quite a major part of our budget. I’d say [the increase] must be 10 per cent per annum,” he said. “We get our textbooks from the UK and in the last two or three years particularly they have become expensive.”
Similarly, with regard to uniforms, Alexandra Sacher-Clynes, director of supplier Wren International, said that the cost of materials had gone up considerably, as the company sourced from the UK and exchange rates had become less favourable.
She said the firm had absorbed this cost as its contracts with schools stipulate the price of uniforms, although other firms that are not locked into contracts have been free to put up prices.
“We haven’t increased the prices – we’ve taken the headache,” she said.
ClicksandWrites 
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