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NEWS ... ... GLOBAL NEWS ... TIME TRAVELLERS COULD NEVER The briefing paper, for participants ata March 2003. ALTER THE PAST meeting of Blair's inner circle on 23 July The briefing paper is certain to add to lhe laws of physics seem to permit time 2002, said that since regime change was __ the pressure, particularly on the American travel and, with it, paradoxical situa- _ illegal it was "necessary to create the _ president, because of the damaging revela- tions such as the possibility that people —_ conditions" which would make it legal. tion that Bush and Blair agreed on regime could go back in time to prevent their own This was required because, even if min- change in April 2002 and then looked for a birth. But it turns out that such paradoxes —_isters decided Britain should not take part —_ way to justify it. may be ruled out by the weirdness inherent in an invasion, the American military (Source: The Sunday Times, UK, /2 June in the laws of quantum physics. would be using British bases. This would — 2005, http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/ Some solutions to the equations of automatically make Britain complicit in 0,,2087-1650822,00.html) Einstein's general theory of relativity lead —_ any illegal US action. to situations in which space-time curves "US plans assume, as a minimum, the AUSTRALIA'S "DUST AGE" back on itself, theoretically allowing trav- _use of British bases in Cyprus and Diego ustralia is in the grip of a "dust age", a ellers to loop back in time and meet — Garcia," the briefing paper warned. This five-year-long spell in which the younger versions of themselves. meant that issues of legality "would arise winds have swept tens of megatonnes of Because such time travel sets up para- _ virtually whatever option ministers choose _ topsoil from the face of the continent. doxes, many researchers suspect that some __ with regard to UK participation". "Dust is a measure of the care we are physical constraints must make time travel Those present at the meeting included: _ taking of Australia, just as the sediment in impossible. Tony Blair; Geoff Hoon, then defence sec- _a river reveals how you are looking after Now, physicists Daniel Greenberger of _ retary; Jack Straw, the foreign secretary; its catchment," says Professor Grant the City University of New York and Karl and Sir Richard Dearlove, then chief of | McTainsh, who heads the dust research Svozil of the Vienna University of | MI6. The full minutes of the meeting were team in the Desert Knowledge Cooperative Technology in Austria have shown that the _ published in May in the Sunday Times. Research Centre (CRC). most basic features of quantum theory may The document said the only way the "Up till 2001, we thought we were get- ensure that time travellers could never alter —_ allies could justify military action was to __ ting better at it, based on the previous 40 the past, even if they were able to go back —_ place Saddam Hussein in a position where __years' data. Then a major dust era erupted, in time. he ignored or rejected a United Nations — from 2002 to 2004, which still persists in Quantum theory allows time travel ultimatum ordering him to cooperate with © New South Wales and parts of northern because nothing prevents the waves from _ the weapons inspectors. But it warned this | South Australia and western Queensland." going back in time. When Greenberger would be difficult. A single giant dust storm took 4.85 mil- and Svozil analysed what happens when "It is just possible that an ultimatum _ lion tonnes of soil, Prof. McTainsh and these component waves flow into the past, could be cast in terms which Saddam _ colleague Dr John Leys calculated. In the they found that the paradoxes implied by —_ would reject," the document says. But if same year, 20 other events took over a mil- Einstein's equations never arise. Waves he accepted it and did not attack the allies, lion tonnes apiece. Accentuating the con- that travel back in time interfere destruc- they would be "most unlikely" to obtain _tinent's violent contrasts, they recently tively, thus preventing anything from hap- __ the legal justification they needed. observed a huge dust plume rising right pening differently from that which has The attack on Iraq finally began in _ alongside a flooding creek. already taken place. "If you travel into the past, quantum mechanically, you would only see those alternatives consistent with the world you left behind you,” says Greenberger. (Source: New Scientist, 18 June 2005) ae [se90 & aus) Pw Gee il | | RELAT tort The briefing paper, for participants at a meeting of Blair's inner circle on 23 July 2002, said that since regime change was illegal it was "necessary to create the conditions" which would make it legal. This was required because, even if min- isters decided Britain should not take part in an invasion, the American military would be using British bases. This would automatically make Britain complicit in any illegal US action. "US plans assume, as a minimum, the use of British bases in Cyprus and Diego Garcia," the briefing paper warned. This meant that issues of legality "would arise virtually whatever option ministers choose with regard to UK participation". Those present at the meeting included: Tony Blair; Geoff Hoon, then defence sec- retary; Jack Straw, the foreign secretary; and Sir Richard Dearlove, then chief of MI6. The full minutes of the meeting were published in May in the Sunday Times. The document said the only way the allies could justify military action was to place Saddam Hussein in a position where he ignored or rejected a United Nations ultimatum ordering him to cooperate with the weapons inspectors. But it warned this would be difficult. "Tt is just possible that an ultimatum could be cast in terms which Saddam would reject," the document says. But if he accepted it and did not attack the allies, they would be "most unlikely" to obtain the legal justification they needed. The attack on Iraq finally began in March 2003. The briefing paper is certain to add to the pressure, particularly on the American president, because of the damaging revela- tion that Bush and Blair agreed on regime change in April 2002 and then looked for a way to justify it. (Source: The Sunday Times, UK, 12 June 2005, http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/ 0,,2087-1650822,00.html) AUSTRALIA'S "DUST AGE" ustralia is in the grip of a "dust age", a five-year-long spell in which the winds have swept tens of megatonnes of topsoil from the face of the continent. "Dust is a measure of the care we are taking of Australia, just as the sediment in a river reveals how you are looking after its catchment," says Professor Grant McTainsh, who heads the dust research team in the Desert Knowledge Cooperative Research Centre (CRC). "Up till 2001, we thought we were get- ting better at it, based on the previous 40 years’ data. Then a major dust era erupted, from 2002 to 2004, which still persists in New South Wales and parts of northern South Australia and western Queensland." A single giant dust storm took 4.85 mil- lion tonnes of soil, Prof. McTainsh and colleague Dr John Leys calculated. In the same year, 20 other events took over a mil- lion tonnes apiece. Accentuating the con- tinent's violent contrasts, they recently observed a huge dust plume rising right alongside a flooding creek. a e ca THe 5 rf £ le ESS eee fat pd | ed UK MINISTERS TOLD OF NEED FOR IRAQ WAR "EXCUSE" K ministers were warned in July 2002 that Britain was committed to taking part in an American-led invasion of Iraq and they had no choice but to find a way of making it legal. The so-called Downing Street memo (often shortened to "the DSM" on web- sites) is a leaked Cabinet Office briefing paper, which states that Prime Minister Tony Blair had already agreed to back mil- itary action to get rid of Saddam Hussein at a summit at the Texas ranch of US President George W. Bush three months earlier. "This week I finish off a magazine campaign positioning Nuclear Power as the new green energy. Next week I start work on some TV spots raising awareness of Whaling as an oceanic decongestant." NEXUS +7 AUGUST - SEPTEMBER 2005 www.nexusmagazine.com