We live in a world of mysteries, there is no doubt about that.We live in a universe where it is commonplace for stars to die and whole solar systems to be born.We live in a world where whole galaxies hurl themselves through space, colliding with others.I cannot explain a greater beauty than this.And the fact that this heavenly symphony has a set of rules and laws is all the more enchanting. But before I get carried away in cosmological philosiphies I must explain how this elegant universe works.

It all started with a bang. This may seem like a simple and rather boring beggining but it's the truth. In about a second after this massive explosion already had the foundations for everything had been set. Millions years later gravity had it's prime in universal history. After everything had been created the whole universe was simply a balloon.A huge frame of space time filled to the brim with hydrogen.However, slowly over time this rather dull universe began to change. Gravity began to slowly pull this gas together.Now, anyone who knows basic physics and chemistry know that when a gas is compressed it begins to heat up. So, naturally these huge clusters of gas began to slowly get very hot.In fact so hot that this hydrogen began to change. Now I will have to bring about a term to explain this beautiful phenomena.It is called fusion.Fusion is a changing of matter that takes one element and creates another right after it. This at such high temperatures that it literally "transforms" an atom.This happens because when two nuclei combine the resulting atom has less mas than the two participating atoms.Well, in the after-affect the reaction causes a gargauntan amount of heat.So, much, that even as I write this and even as you read this we are being warmed by this fundemental occurence.Slowly more and more elements were coming about inside what would now qualify as a star.Now, although many new kinds of elements were being created, they all mysteriously stopped at iron. Well, this was a dilemna for scientists around the world.Why would stars stop at iron when we know that there are so many more that occur naturally?Well along came a man who proposed that, rather than the big bang, the higher elements are born in the stars.This mans name is Fred Hoyle. I can already hear you asking "Why Zivan are there elements scattered throughout the universe and not cooped up in the stars?" Well,that's were truly beautiful thing happens.This is called.......SUPERNOVA!! Now I'm sure that many people have heard of this and what's the first thing that comes to mind when you hear this?BOOOMMM!!?!!!?!?!?!?!?! That's correct.Even for such a complex thing in it of itself it is very simplistic. Basically, when a star has almost exshausted its energy sources gravity begins to take over.Now once again I can almost hear you thinking to yourselves"Then why,Mr.Smartypants, doesn't the sun go supernova right now?" This does not happen for this one reanson.Think of the sun as a balloon.Now imagine it without the rubber shell over it.Basically what you've got is a ball of air that has a higher pressure pushing out keeping it together and preventing it from collapsing.Well a star is pretty much the same thing ( in principle of course!!).The stars outward energy output is constantly equalizing its own gravitational pull.So, when the outward energy output doesn't equalize the gravitational pull, naturally the stars begins to swell and then explode.When this happens the contents of the star begin to fuse into heavier and heavier elements. After several million years these elements began to cluster once more.What we have now resembles a giant cosmic frisbee.This is called a protoplanetary disc. This is where gravity began to assemble the planets and moons.Specifically ours happened to form in the Goldilocks Zone.This is an area of a solar system where planetary temparatures are just right to sustain life.Once the Earth had formed, it looked nothing like the safe blue haven we call home.It needed a little remodeling.

As I am sure you are all aware, the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill has been laying waste to the natural world across several United States coastlines.I see many different ways this problem can be treated but I feel that others are misinterpreting what the real solution is.I have always said that it is always easier to blame to take responsibility for something, and right now I believe not many people are taking "real" action.One can speak and debate all one wants but when it comes down to it, you had better have something to show for it.Another thing I think is a very wide spread misconception is the fact that many people think this is the GREATEST and WORST ecological disaster in U.S history.Although(and I will not for a second hesitate to say this) this does rank up on one of the most devastating blunder that we have experience in a few decades I will not whopp this story to gargantuan sizes.I believe many are forgeting the massive contamination of Exxon Valdez in 1989 and how it wrecked over 1,300 miles of shoreline utterly obliterating the ecosystem there. One might even have the audacity to say that there is a "bright" side to this mountain of oily dischord. Environmentalists have said that this oil is less crude than the Exxon Valdez spill and burns more rapidly and evaporates much swifter.This just goes to show you the misinformity that the young fresh minds of today are being fed. Not only is it the kids that are being told radical assumptions but also the adults.It seems that the oil has not just poisened the waters of our Gulf, but poisened the waters of our society.I cannot even begin to tell you of the damage that this spill will cause to the economy.Not only will fishing and wildlife be marred by this dilemna, but tourism as well. Now,I realize that this spill is a great big red flag for the marine wildlife conservation, but there is also another giant indicator lurking behind the corner.It is the fact that over the course of a year about 706 million gallons of waste oil is thrown into the ocean.I hope that in this generation we can look upon the idiotic mistakes of this one and improve on it.Or it is plausible that most would rather listen to there iPods then do something.The choice is yours. ;D