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This illustration depicts a main membrane out of which individual universes arise; they then expand in size through time.
The supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy.
Are we living in a multiverse? Researchers claim our universe could be just 'one bubble in a frothy sea of bubbles'
The fogbow was spotted by Mikhail Baevsky during a recent expedition to Chatyr-Dag mountain region, in the Ukraine.
A physicist by the name of Alan Guth came up with a parallel universes theory based on many observations. References to his theory are called inflationary universe or inflationary theory of cosmology. Professor Guth is currently the Victor F. Weisskopf Professor of Physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Many of Professor Guth's peers believe that his theory is correct. He believes that when the universe began, instead of a gravitational pull to keep things together, there was a reverse type of gravitation working and instead repelled everything from it, which he coined a "false vacuum." As scientists have proven our world is constantly expanding, this theory seems plausible.
Another part to Professor Guth's theory allows that at the time of the big bang, the "false vacuum" began to decay, creating amazing amounts of particles. These particles are the same as those which began our universe. According to his theory, the universe is much larger than anyone had predicted. If this theory is true, these extra particles started as the decay became bubbles, much like the bubble he believes began our universe. The more the "false vacuum" decayed the more bubbles it created. If this astounding theory is true, it would prove the existence of many universes, all of which would appear to have the same properties and abide by the same law of physics. Because this theory can't fully be proven, there is speculation as to what these other universes hold.
There are two main ideas as to what these different universes may contain. The first is that these universes are the same in matter and physical laws as our universe. The exception being that due the varying degree with which they were created, it allowed for these other worlds to have every possible combination of particles available. In other words, these worlds would operate by the same principles but would have every possible number of combinations there are. For example, the oceans would be where our continents are and vice versa, on and on. The second idea is that the other worlds would potentially be different in that they may not operate in the same way as ours does. A three dimensional world may not be what the norm is.
While both of these ideas are plausible, the first allows for the belief in parallel universes, the idea that any given person can exist at the same time in more than one place. If, as humans, we were able to tap into the power of traveling to these other universes, we would be able to 'meet' our other selves. While this is a truly powerful thing to think about, one can imagine the possibilities it holds. If your own individual beings could meet and each one had different experiences, think of the intelligence and knowledge you could pass from one to another. Each one would have different experiences and different outcomes. In one world you could be a doctor, in another world a politician, in another world a drug addict. The options would be virtually limitless.
Ghostly: The phenomena appears in mist or fog and appears devoid of colour due to the effect of diffraction. The 61-year-old, from Russia, said: 'I often visit the mountain range in search of the perfect image. 'When I spotted the rainbow it felt really surreal. I am a scientist and I do understand the physics of all these processes but when you are high in the mountains and there are only clouds below you and this white rainbow in front of you it's like looking at a gateway to another world. 'I feel stunned and amazed by nature's diversity and beauty, that's why I can't stop going to mountains, it's full of so many amazing photo opportunities.' A fog bow made from the same configuration of sunlight and moisture as a rainbow, but is made up by far smaller water droplets, which are less than 0.05mm across. This means they are too small to refract light in the same way as in raindrops, which creates the multi-coloured effect. With a fogbow the diffraction (bending and spreading out of light waves) dominates, which robs the bow of its colour making it look white and washed out. Fogbows are frequently seen over Arctic waters and are called sea-dogs by mariners, but they have also been spotted in mountain regions. Despite sub-freezing temperatures - sometimes plummeting as low as -15 degrees - keen photographer Mr Baevsky, who also teaches chemistry at a university, spends most weekends climbing the mountain range in search of the perfect image.
Fogbows are sometimes captured in mountainous regions. They are frequently seen over Arctic waters and are called sea-dogs by mariners.
A parallel universe or alternative reality is a hypothetical or fictional self-contained separate reality coexisting with one's own. A specific group of parallel universes is called a "multiverse", although this term can also be used to describe the possible parallel universes that constitute reality. While the terms "parallel universe" and "alternative reality" are generally synonymous and can be used interchangeably in most cases, there is sometimes an additional connotation implied with the term "alternative reality" that implies that the reality is a variant of our own. The term "parallel universe" is more general, without any connotations implying a relationship, or lack of relationship, with our own universe. A universe where the very laws of nature are different – for example, one in which there are no relativistic limitations and the speed of light can be exceeded – would in general count as a parallel universe but not an alternative reality. The correct quantum mechanical definition of parallel universes is "universes that are separated from each other by a single quantum event."
Fantasy has long borrowed the idea of "another world" from myth, legend and religion. Heaven, Hell, Olympus, and Valhalla are all "alternative universes" different from the familiar material realm. Modern fantasy often presents the concept as a series of planes of existence where the laws of nature differ, allowing magical phenomena of some sort on some planes. This concept was also found in ancient Hindu mythology, in texts such as the Puranas, which expressed an infinite number of universes, each with its own gods.[1] Similarly in Persian literature, "The Adventures of Bulukiya", a tale in the One Thousand and One Nights, describes the protagonist Bulukiya learning of alternative worlds/universes that are similar to but still distinct from his own.
In other cases, in both fantasy and science fiction, a parallel universe is a single other material reality, and its co-existence with ours is a rationale to bring a protagonist from the author's reality into the fantasy's reality, such as in The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis or even the beyond-the-reflection travel in the two main works of Lewis Carroll. Or this single other reality can invade our own, as when Margaret Cavendish's English heroine sends submarines and "birdmen" armed with "fire stones" back through the portal from The Blazing World to Earth and wreaks havoc on England's enemies. In dark fantasy or horrorthe parallel world is often a hiding place for unpleasant things, and often the protagonist is forced to confront effects of this other world leaking into his own, as in most of the work of H. P. Lovecraft and the Doom computer game series, or Warhammer/40K miniature and computer games. In such stories, the nature of this other reality is often left mysterious, known only by its effect on our own world.
The concept also arises outside the framework of quantum mechanics, as is found in Jorge Luis Borges short story El jardín de senderos que se bifurcan ("The Garden of Forking Paths"), published in 1941 before the many-worlds interpretation had been invented. In the story, a Sinologist discovers a manuscript by a Chinese writer where the same tale is recounted in several ways, often contradictory, and then explains to his visitor (the writer's grandson) that his relative conceived time as a "garden of forking paths", where things happen in parallel in infinitely branching ways. One of the first Sci-Fi examples is John Wyndham's Random Quest about a man who, on awaking after a laboratory accident, finds himself in a parallel universe where World War II never happened with consequences for his professional and personal life, giving him information he can use on return to his own universe.
While this is a common treatment in Sci-Fi, it is by no means the only presentation of the idea, even in hard science fiction. Sometimes the parallel universe bears no historical relationship to any other world; instead, the laws of nature are simply different than those in our own, as in the novel Raft by Stephen Baxter, which posits a reality where thegravitational constant is much larger than in our universe. (Note, however, that Baxter explains later in Vacuum Diagrams that the protagonists in Raft are descended from people who came from the Xeelee Sequence universe.)
One motif is that the way time flows in a parallel universe may be very different, so that a character returning to one might find the time passed very differently for those he left behind. This is found in folklore: King Herla visited Fairy and returned three centuries later; although only some of his men crumbled to dust on dismounting, Herla and his men who did not dismount were trapped on horseback, this being one folkloric account of the origin of the Wild Hunt.[3] C. S. Lewis made use of this in The Chronicles of Narnia; indeed, a character points out to two skeptics that there is no need for the time between the worlds to match up, but it would be very odd for the girl who claims to have visited a parallel universe to have dreamed up such a different time flow.
The division between science fiction and fantasy becomes fuzzier than usual when dealing with stories that explicitly leave the universe we are familiar with, especially when our familiar universe is portrayed as a subset of a multiverse. Picking a genre becomes less a matter of setting, and more a matter of theme and emphasis; the parts of the story the author wishes to explain and how they are explained. Narnia is clearly a fantasy, and the TV series Sliders is clearly science fiction, but works like the World of Tiers series or Glory Road tend to occupy a much broader middle ground.
Typically, parallel universes fall into two classifications. The first may be more accurately called a "diverging universe" whereby two versions of the universe share a common history up to a point of divergence. At this point, the outcome of some event is different in the two universes and their histories continue to become more different as time elapses after that point (e.g. Parallels (Star Trek: The Next Generation)). The second type is where despite certain, often large, differences between the two universes' history and/or culture, they maintain strong similarities. In such cases, it is common that every person in one universe will have a counterpart in the other universe with the same name, ancestry, appearance, and frequently occupation but often a very different personality (e.g. Mirror, Mirror (Star Trek: The Original Series)).
Science fiction
While technically incorrect, and looked down upon by hard science-fiction fans and authors, the idea of another "dimension" has become synonymous with the term "parallel universe". The usage is particularly common in movies, television and comic books and much less so in modern prose science fiction. The idea of a parallel world was first introduced in comic books with the publication of Flash #123 - "Flash of Two Worlds".
In written science fiction, "new dimensions" more commonly — and more accurately — refer to additional coordinate axes, beyond the three spatial axes with which we are familiar. By proposing travel along these extra axes, which are not normally perceptible, the traveler can reach worlds that are otherwise unreachable and invisible.
Edwin A. Abbott's Flatland is set in a world of two dimensions.
In 1884, Edwin A. Abbott wrote the seminal novel exploring this concept called Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions. It describes a world of two dimensions inhabited by living squares, triangles, and circles, called Flatland, as well as Pointland (0 dimensions), Lineland (1 dimension), and Spaceland (three dimensions) and finally posits the possibilities of even greater dimensions. Isaac Asimov, in his foreword to the Signet Classics 1984 edition, described Flatland as "The best introduction one can find into the manner of perceiving dimensions."
In 1895, The Time Machine by H. G. Wells used time as an additional "dimension" in this sense, taking the four-dimensional model of classical physics and interpreting time as a space-like dimension in which humans could travel with the right equipment. Wells also used the concept of parallel universes as a consequence of time as the fourth dimension in stories like The Wonderful Visit andMen Like Gods, an idea proposed by the astronomer Simon Newcomb, who talked about both time and parallel universes; "Add a fourth dimension to space, and there is room for an indefinite number of universes, all alongside of each other, as there is for an indefinite number of sheets of paper when we pile them upon each other".
There are many examples where authors have explicitly created additional spatial dimensions for their characters to travel in, to reach parallel universes. In Doctor Who, the Doctor accidentally enters a parallel universe while attempting to repair the TARDISconsole in Inferno. The parallel universe was similar to the real universe but with some different aspects. Douglas Adams, in the last book of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series, Mostly Harmless, uses the idea of probability as an extra axis in addition to the classical four dimensions of space and time similar to the many-worlds interpretation of quantum physics. Though, according to the novel, they're not really parallel universes at all but only a model to capture the continuity of space, time and probability. Robert A. Heinlein, in The Number of the Beast, postulated a six-dimensional universe. In addition to the three spatial dimensions, he invoked symmetry to add two new temporal dimensions, so there would be two sets of three. Like the fourth dimension of H. G. Wells' "Time Traveller", these extra dimensions can be traveled by persons using the right equipment.
Main article: Hyperspace (science fiction)
Perhaps the most common use of the concept of a parallel universe in science fiction is the concept of hyperspace. Used in science fiction, the concept of "hyperspace" often refers to a parallel universe that can be used as a faster-than-light shortcut for interstellar travel. Rationales for this form of hyperspace vary from work to work, but the two common elements are:
Sometimes "hyperspace" is used to refer to the concept of additional coordinate axes. In this model, the universe is thought to be "crumpled" in some higher spatial dimension and that traveling in this higher spatial dimension, a ship can move vast distances in the common spatial dimensions. An analogy is to crumple a newspaper into a ball and stick a needle straight through, the needle will make widely spaced holes in the two-dimensional surface of the paper. While this idea invokes a "new dimension", it is not an example of a parallel universe. It is a more scientifically plausible use of hyperspace. (See wormhole.)
While use of hyperspace is common, it is mostly used as a plot device and thus of secondary importance. While a parallel universe may be invoked by the concept, the nature of the universe is not often explored. So, while stories involving hyperspace might be the most common use of the parallel universe concept in fiction, it is not the most common source of fiction about parallel universes.
Time travel and alternate history
British author H. G. Wells' 1895 novelThe Time Machine is an early example oftime travel in modern fiction.
Main articles: Time travel and Alternate history
The most common use of parallel universes in science fiction, when the concept is central to the story, is as a backdrop and/or consequence of time travel. A seminal example of this idea is in Fritz Leiber's novel, The Big Time where there's a war across time between two alternate futures each side manipulating history to create a timeline that results into their own world.
Time-travelers in fiction often accidentally or deliberately create alternate histories, such as in The Guns of the South by Harry Turtledove where the Confederate Army is given the technology to produce AK-47 rifles and ends up winning the American Civil War. (However, Ward Moore reversed this staple of alternate history fiction in his Bring the Jubilee (1953), where an alternative world where the Confederate States of America won the Battle of Gettysburg and the American Civil War is destroyed after a historian and time traveller from the defeated United States of that world travels back to the scene of the battle and inadvertently changes the result so that the North wins that battle.) The alternate history novel 1632 by Eric Flint explicitly states, albeit briefly in a prologue, that the time travelers in the novel (an entire town from West Virginia) have created a new and separate universe when they're transported into the midst of the Thirty Years' War in 17th century Germany. (This sort of thing is known as an ISOT among alternate history fans, after S. M. Stirling's Island in the Sea of Time: an ISOT is when territory or a large group of people is transported back in time to another historical period or place.
Typically, alternate histories are not technically parallel universes. Though the concepts are similar, there are significant differences. In cases where characters travel to the past, they may cause changes in the timeline (creating a point of divergence) that result in changes to the present. The alternate present will be similar in different degrees to the original present as would be the case with a parallel universe. The main difference is that parallel universes co-exist whereas only one history or alternate history can exist at any one moment. Another difference is that travelling to a parallel universe involves some type of inter-dimensional travel whereas alternative histories involve some type of time travel. (However, since the future is only potential and not actual, it is often conceived that more than one future may exist simultaneously.)
The concept of "sidewise" time travel, a term taken from Murray Leinster's "Sidewise in Time", is often used to allow characters to pass through many different alternate histories, all descendant from some common branch point. Often worlds that are similar to each other are considered closer to each other in terms of this sidewise travel. For example, a universe where World War II ended differently would be "closer" to us than one where Imperial China colonized the New World in the 15th century. H. Beam Piperused this concept, naming it "paratime" and writing a series of stories involving the Paratime Police who regulated travel between these alternative realities as well as the technology to do so. Keith Laumer used the same concept of "sideways" time travel in his 1962 novel Worlds of the Imperium. More recently, novels such as Frederik Pohl'sThe Coming of the Quantum Cats and Neal Stephenson's Anathem explore human-scale readings of the "many worlds" interpretation of quantum mechanics, postulating that historical events or human consciousness spawns or allows "travel" among alternate universes.
Frequent 'types' of universe explored in sidewise and alternative history works include worlds in which the Nazis won the Second World War, such as in The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick, SS-GB by Len Deighton and Fatherland by Robert Harris, and worlds in which the Roman Empire never fell, such as in Roma Eterna by Robert Silverberg and Romanitas by Sophia McDougall. In his novel Warlords of Utopia, part of the loosely linked Faction Paradox series, Lance Parkin explored a multiverse in which every universe in which Rome never fell goes to war with every universe in which the Nazis won WWII. The series was created by Lawrence Miles, whose earlier work Dead Romance featured the concept of an artificially created universe existing within another -specifically, within a bottle - and explored the consequences of inhabitants of the 'real' universe entering the Universe-in-a-Bottle.
In the His Dark Materials trilogy, the universe the protagonist starts in is a Victorian counterpart to ours, although it takes place at the same time. It also appears that the Protestant Reformation never happened.
In his short story, Rumfuddle, Jack Vance invents a doorway to an infinite number of universes at any given time, so that everyone on the planet can have their own private world. Some are inhabited by humans. On some, man doesn't exist. The trouble comes when some of the Rumfuddlers (a term given to an annual gathering to see who can best mess around with what should be) play pranks on parallel world, such as switching the infant Adolf Hitler with a baby from a Jewish couple, or putting together a football team made up of all of the great men in history.
The concept of Counter-Earth is typically similar to that of parallel universes but is actually a distinct idea. A counter-earth is a planet that shares Earth's orbit but is on the opposite side of the Sun and therefore cannot be seen from Earth. There would be no necessity that such a planet would be like Earth in any way though typically in fiction, it is usually nearly identical to Earth. Since counter-earth is always within our own universe (and our own solar system), travel to it can be accomplished with ordinary space travel.
Convergent evolution
Convergent evolution is a biological concept whereby unrelated species acquire similar traits because they adapted to a similar environment and/or played similar roles in their ecosystems. In fiction, the concept is extended whereby similar planets will result in races with similar cultures and/or histories.
Technically this is not a type of parallel universe since such planets can be reached via ordinary space travel, but the stories are similar in some respects.
In "Bread and Circuses (Star Trek: The Original Series)", the enterprise encounters a planet called Magna Roma which has many physical resemblances to Earth such as its atmosphere, land to ocean ratio, and size. The landing party discovers that the planet is at roughly a late 20th-century level of technology but its society is similar to the Roman Empire. It was as if the Roman Empire had not fallen but had continued to that time. There is also a reference to the Roman god Jupiter. At the end of the episode, it is discovered that their own version Jesus, referred simply as "the son".
In The Omega Glory (Star Trek), the crew visit a planet on which there is a conflict between two peoples called the Yangs and the Kohms. They discover that the Yangs are like Earth's Yankees (i.e. Americans) and the Kohms are like Earth's communists. The Yangs had a ritual speech that was word for word identical to the American Pledge of Allegiance but at some point in the past the Kohms had taken over.
In Miri (Star Trek: The Original Series), the Enterprise crew encounter a planet (later called Onlies) that is physically identical to Earth. History on the two planets were apparently identical until the 20th centuries when scientists on Onlies had accidentally created a deadly virus that killed all the adults but extended the lives of the children.
Convergent Evolution due to contamination
As similar concept in biology is gene flow. In this case, a planet may start as different from Earth, but due to the influence of Earth culture, the planet come to resemble Earth in some way.
Technically this is not a type of parallel universe since such planets can be reached via ordinary space travel, but the stories are similar in some respects.
In Patterns of Force (Star Trek: The Original Series), a planet is discovered that has become very similar to Nazi Germany due to the influence of a professor that came to reside there. In A Piece of the Action (Star Trek: The Original Series), the Enterprise crew visits a planet that resembles mob ruled cities of Earth in the 1920s due to a book titled "Chicago Mobs of the Twenties" that had been left behind by previous Earth craft.
Digital Universe
Instead of matter and atoms like our universe, the world is a digital construct.
Stranger in a strange land
Oz and its surroundings.
Fantasy authors often want to bring characters from the author's (and the reader's) reality into their created world. Before the mid-20th century, this was most often done by hiding fantastic worlds within hidden parts of the author's own universe. Peasants who seldom if ever traveled far from their villages could not conclusively say that it was impossible that an ogre or other fantastical beings could live an hour away, but increasing geographical knowledge meant that such locations had to be farther and farther off.[6] Characters in the author's world could board a ship and find themselves on a fantastic island, as Jonathan Swift does inGulliver's Travels or in the 1949 novel Silverlock by John Myers Myers, or be sucked up into a tornado and land in Oz. These "lost world" stories can be seen as geographic equivalents of a "parallel universe", as the worlds portrayed are separate from our own, and hidden to everyone except those who take the difficult journey there. The geographic "lost world" can blur into a more explicit "parallel universe" when the fantasy realm overlaps a section of the "real" world, but is much larger inside than out, as in Robert Holdstock's novel Mythago Wood. Madeleine L'engle, "Wrinkle in Time" series: characters go from the present time to places in the universe.
After the mid-20th century, perhaps influenced by ideas from science fiction, perhaps because exploration had made many places on the map too clear to write "Here there be dragons", many fantasy worlds became completely separate from the author's world.[6] A common trope is a portal or artifact that connects worlds together, prototypical examples being the wardrobe in C. S. Lewis' The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, or the sigil in James Branch Cabell's The Cream of the Jest. In Hayao Miyazaki's Spirited Away, Chihiro Ogino and her parents climb over a small stream into the spirit world. The main difference between this type of story and the "lost world" above, is that the fantasy realm can only be reached by certain people, or at certain times, or after following certain rituals, or with the proper artifact.
In some cases, physical travel is not even possible, and the character in our reality travels in a dream or some other altered state of consciousness. Examples include theDream Cycle stories by H. P. Lovecraft or the Thomas Covenant stories of Stephen R. Donaldson. Often, stories of this type have as a major theme the nature of reality itself, questioning if the dream-world can have the same "reality" as the waking world. Science fiction often employs this theme (usually without the dream-world being "another" universe) in the ideas of cyberspace and virtual reality.
Between the worlds
Through the Looking-Glass -- and the parallel universe Alice found there
Most stories in this mold simply transport a character from the real world into the fantasy world where the bulk of the action takes place. Whatever gate is used – such as the tollbooth in The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster, or the mirror in Lewis Carroll'sThrough the Looking-Glass – is left behind for the duration of the story, until the end, and then only if the protagonists will return.
However, in a few cases the interaction between the worlds is an important element, so that the focus is not on one world or the other, but on both, and their interaction. After Rick Cook introduced a computer programmer into a high fantasy world, his wizardryseries steadily acquired more interactions between this world and ours. In Aaron Allston's Doc Sidhe our "grim world" is paralleled by a "fair world" where the elves live and history echoes ours. A major portion of the plot deals with preventing a change in interactions between the worlds. Margaret Ball, in No Earthly Sunne, depicts the interaction of our world with Faerie, and the efforts of the Queen of Faerie to deal with the slow drifting apart of Earth and Faerie. Poul Anderson depicts Hell as a parallel universe in Operation Chaos, and the need to transfer equivalent amounts of mass between the worlds explains why a changeling is left for a kidnapped child. Interactions between magical and scientific universes, and the protagonists' attempts to restore and maintain the balance between them, are major plot points in Piers Anthony's Apprentice Adept series; he depicts two worlds, the "SF" planet Proton and the fantasy-based Phaze, such that every person born in either world has a physical duplicate on the other world. Only when one duplicate has died can the other cross between the worlds. Several of his Xanthnovels also revolve around interactions between the magical realm of Xanth and "Mundania".
Multiple worlds, rather than a pair, increase the importance of the relationships. In The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, there are only our world and Narnia, but in other of C. S. Lewis's works, there are hints of other worlds, and in The Magician's Nephew, the Wood between the Worlds shows many possibilities, and the plot is governed by transportation between worlds, and the effort to right problems stemming from them. In His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman, the two protagonist Lyra and Will find themselves lost amongst many worlds, and travel them looking for the other. In Andre Norton's Witch World, begun with a man from Earth being transported to this world, gates frequently lead to other worlds — or come from them. While an abundance of illusions, disguises, and magic that repels attention make certain parts of Witch World look like parallel worlds, some are clearly parallel in that time runs differently in them, and such gates pose a repeated problem in Witch World. In the radio sitcom Undone, the main character, Edna Turner, prevents people from a parallel version of London called "Undone" from moving to London and making the city too weird. There are other parallel versions of London, and one of the main plots in the series is the attempt by The Prince to unite all versions of London together. Travel between the many worlds is the central conceit of Planes runner, where the protagonist travels to a parallel London in a world without fossil fuels.
Linking rooms of various types (not all actual rooms) can hook together any number of worlds. The characters may chose only one, but the choice is all important in determining the worlds.
Fantasy multiverses
The idea of a multiverse is as fertile a subject for fantasy as it is for science fiction, allowing for epic settings and godlike protagonists. Among the most epic and far-ranging fantasy "multiverses" is that of Michael Moorcock. Like many authors after him, Moorcock was inspired by the many worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics, saying:
Unlike many science-fiction interpretations, Moorcock's Eternal Champion stories go far beyond alternate history to include mythic and sword and sorcery settings as well as some worlds more similar to our own. However, the Eternal Champion himself is incarnate in all of them.
Roger Zelazny used a mythic cosmology in his Chronicles of Amber series. His protagonist is a member of the royal family of Amber, whose members represent a godlikepantheon ruling over a prototypical universe that represents Order. All other universes are increasingly distorted "shadows" of it, ending finally at the other extreme, Chaos, which is the complete negation of the prototype. Travel between these "shadow" universes is only possible by beings descended from the blood of this pantheon. Those "of the blood" can walk through Shadow, imagining any possible reality and then walk to it, making their environment more similar to their desire as they go. It is argued between the characters whether these "shadows" even exist before they're imagined by a member of the royal family of Amber, or if the "shadows'" existence can be seen as an act of godlike creation.
Above the clouds: Mr Baevsky spends most weekends climbing in the mountains to capture stunning images . By the gloomy light of our caving headlamps, it looks like a geological rubbish dump: a brown, muddy chaos of shadowy crevices and boulders – some the size of buses – that fell from the roof. Welcome to The Frozen Deep, the biggest cave chamber in Britain, which has recently been discovered below Cheddar Gorge in Somerset. By the way, I'm the tiny figure in the middle of the photo standing in the distant white glow at the far wall. Lit properly for the first time by underground photography specialist Gavin Newman, with five of our team spread out across its vastness holding synchronised flashguns, The Frozen Deep is a wonderland featuring pure white stalactite columns – the 20ft one on the left of the picture is the country's longest.
Spot me if you can: David Rose's silhouette can be seen at the back of the recently discovered Frozen Deep chamber beneath Somerset's Cheddar Gorge. The white 20ft stalactite on the left is the largest in Britain
Quite a feat: David Rose in the breakthrough dig in Reservoir Hole Cave, Cheddar Gorge, Somerset. Beyond this tight section of passage, explorers found the Frozen Deep Chamber. The Frozen Deep is at the far end of a cave system known as Reservoir Hole. It has been explored by cavers since 1951, but no one had ventured beyond an apparently impenetrable rockfall at the end of its main tunnel, which is called the Grand Gallery.However, a strong draught blowing from the cracks between the boulders suggested that if a way through could somehow be found, there must be more open cavern. In early 2008, Dr Pete Glanvill, 61, a retired GP and a doyen of the local caving scene, put a team together to take up the challenge. Armed with hammers, crowbars, drills, explosives and a large quantity of scaffolding, the team probed various blind alleys in search of the elusive chamber. Finally they began to push at the right spot. With a series of successive breakthroughs starting earlier this year, they reached the end of a squirm they dubbed Hard Times to became the first humans to enter Resurrection, a massive open rift.
Seen from the side: A graphic shows the journey taken to the Frozen Deep. The Frozen Deep – which could be accessed from a passage 30ft above the floor – was by now just around the corner. That week Glanvill happened to be on holiday. 'They waited for me to get back before they went down into the chamber,' he said. 'I thought that was pretty decent of them.' It takes a little time to appreciate just how big this chamber is. To get from one end to the other takes close to ten minutes, in part because one has to follow a circuitous route laid between strips of fluorescent tape in order to avoid damaging the unique crystals and cracked mud floors. The floor area is almost 32,291 square feet – big enough to fit in about six of the naves of nearby Wells Cathedral. Measured by volume, The Frozen Deep is almost 1,412 million cubic feet, against the cathedral's 388,000 cubic feet. Its discovery may not be the end of Reservoir Hole's secrets. At the lowest part of the chamber, a small stream flows down a muddy passage that the team called Dingley Dell and into a pit, where the roof dips beneath the water's surface.
Vast: Explorers believe the cave could turn out to be even bigger as they think it is linked to other known underground chambers. Preliminary dives have established that the passage continues underwater, and appears to join a much bigger tunnel. At this point, Reservoir Hole is very close to Cheddar's 'lost river' – the massive borehole bearing the River Yeo, a major underground watercourse that emerges at the bottom of the gorge. In the Nineties, cave divers explored it for more than half a mile, but eventually reached a blockage. 'The hope now is to get back to the river upstream of that point via Reservoir Hole,' said team member Martin Grass, 57. If that happens, perhaps in the next few weeks, it may well be possible to find links with some of the other already-known underground chambers and caves on top of the Mendip Hills, some of them miles away. Potentially, The Frozen Deep may turn out to be just a part of one of the greatest cave systems in Europe.
The universe could be a bubble amongst a 'frothy sea' of other bubble universes, scientists have claimed.
They hope a new series of experiments could shed new light on the 'multiverse', which says ours is just one universe among many.
Researchers hope it will be a proof of principle and show the multiverse theory can be tested.
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Are we living in a bubble? Canadian researchers say they have created the first experiment that can test the so called 'multiverse' theory that our universe is one of many
The term 'multiverse' was invented in December 1960, by Andy Nimmo, then vice chairman of the British Interplanetary Society.
It is based on the theory of eternal inflation, which suggests that shortly after the Big Bang that formed the universe, space-time expanded at different rates in different places.
According to eternal inflation theory, this gave rise to bubble universes that may function with their own separate laws of physics.
The idea of other universes out there may seem strange, but scientists say it can help solve some problems of fundamental physics.
For instance, the long-standing mystery of why nature appears to be fine-tuned for the emergence of life can be explained by the picture of a multiverse.
Some scientists argue that intelligent observers exist only in those rare areas in which the conditions happen to be just right for life to evolve.
The rest of the multiverse remains barren, but no one is there to notice it.
Researchers at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics in Canada say the theory of multiple universes stems from the idea of there being a vacuum in the beginning of time.
'The vacuum simmered with energy (variously called dark energy, vacuum energy, the inflation field, or the Higgs field).
'Like water in a pot, this high energy began to evaporate – bubbles formed,' they explain.
Each bubble contained another vacuum, whose energy was lower, but still not nothing.
This energy drove the bubbles to expand.
Inevitably, some bubbles bumped into each other. It's possible some produced secondary bubbles. Each of these bubbles was a universe. 'In this picture, our universe is one bubble in a frothy sea of bubble universes,' the team say. The theory arises from the idea of cosmic inflation, that the universe expanded very far very fast after the Big Bang.
While this is the most widely accepted theory of universe formation, it has never been proved - something the researchers believe they could change.
'We're trying to find out what the testable predictions of this picture would be, and then going out and looking for them,' said Perimeter Associate Faculty member Matthew Johnson
The researchers have been considering the rare cases in which our bubble universe might collide with another bubble universe.
'We simulate the whole universe,' he said.
'We start with a multiverse that has two bubbles in it, we collide the bubbles on a computer to figure out what happens, and then we stick a virtual observer in various places and ask what that observer would see from there.
'Simulating the universe is easy,' he claims.
'We're simulating things only on the largest scales,' he says.
'All I need is gravity and the stuff that makes these bubbles up.
'We're now at the point where if you have a favourite model of the multiverse, I can stick it on a computer and tell you what you should see.'
Johnson says the program has already reached the point where it can rule out certain models of the multiverse.
Cosmologists studying a map of the universe from data gathered by the Planck spacecraft concluded that it shows anomalies that can only have been caused by the gravitational pull of other universes - but the results have now been called into question
'We're now able to say that some models predict something that we should be able to see, and since we don't in fact see it, we can rule those models out.'
For instance, collisions of one bubble universe with another would leave what Johnson calls 'a disk on the sky' – a circular bruise in the cosmic microwave background.
That the search for such a disk has so far come up empty makes certain collision-filled models less likely.
It's the first time, the team writes in their paper, that anyone has produced a direct quantitative set of predictions for the observable signatures of bubble collisions.
Our universe may be one of many, physicists say.
The universe we live in may not be the only one out there. In fact, our universe could be just one of an infinite number of universes making up a "multiverse."
Though the concept may stretch credulity, there's good physics behind it. And there's not just one way to get to a multiverse — numerous physics theories independently point to such a conclusion. In fact, some experts think the existence of hidden universes is more likely than not.
Here are the five most plausible scientific theories suggesting we live in a multiverse:
1. Infinite Universes
Scientists can't be sure what the shape of space-time is, but most likely, it's flat (as opposed to spherical or even donut-shape) and stretches out infinitely. But if space-time goes on forever, then it must start repeating at some point, because there are a finite number of ways particles can be arranged in space and time.
So if you look far enough, you would encounter another version of you — in fact, infinite versions of you. Some of these twins will be doing exactly what you're doing right now, while others will have worn a different sweater this morning, and still others will have made vastly different career and life choices.
Because the observable universe extends only as far as light has had a chance to get in the 13.7 billion years since the Big Bang (that would be 13.7 billion light-years), the space-time beyond that distance can be considered to be its own separate universe. In this way, a multitude of universes exists next to each other in a giant patchwork quilt of universes. [Visualizations of Infinity: A Gallery]
Space-time may stretch out to infinity. If so, then everything in our universe is bound to repeat at some point, creating a patchwork quilt of infinite universes.
2. Bubble Universes
In addition to the multiple universes created by infinitely extending space-time, other universes could arise from a theory called "eternal inflation." Inflation is the notion that the universe expanded rapidly after the Big Bang, in effect inflating like a balloon. Eternal inflation, first proposed by Tufts University cosmologist Alexander Vilenkin, suggests that some pockets of space stop inflating, while other regions continue to inflate, thus giving rise to many isolated "bubble universes."
Thus, our own universe, where inflation has ended, allowing stars and galaxies to form, is but a small bubble in a vast sea of space, some of which is still inflating, that contains many other bubbles like ours. And in some of these bubble universes, the laws of physics and fundamental constants might be different than in ours, making some universes strange places indeed.
3. Parallel Universes
Another idea that arises from string theory is the notion of "braneworlds" — parallel universes that hover just out of reach of our own, proposed by Princeton University's Paul Steinhardt and Neil Turok of the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics in Ontario, Canada. The idea comes from thepossibility of many more dimensions to our world than the three of space and one of time that we know. In addition to our own three-dimensional "brane" of space, other three-dimensional branes may float in a higher-dimensional space.
Out universe may live on one membrane, or "brane" that is parallel to many others containing their own universes, all floating in a higher-dimensional space.
Columbia University physicist Brian Greene describes the idea as the notion that "our universe is one of potentially numerous 'slabs' floating in a higher-dimensional space, much like a slice of bread within a grander cosmic loaf," in his book "The Hidden Reality" (Vintage Books, 2011).
A further wrinkle on this theory suggests these brane universes aren't always parallel and out of reach. Sometimes, they might slam into each other, causing repeated Big Bangs that reset the universes over and over again. [The Universe: Big Bang to Now in 10 Easy Steps ]
4. Daughter Universes
The theory of quantum mechanics, which reigns over the tiny world of subatomic particles, suggests another way multiple universes might arise. Quantum mechanics describes the world in terms of probabilities, rather than definite outcomes. And the mathematics of this theory might suggest that all possible outcomes of a situation do occur — in their own separate universes. For example, if you reach a crossroads where you can go right or left, the present universe gives rise to two daughter universes: one in which you go right, and one in which you go left.
"And in each universe, there's a copy of you witnessing one or the otheroutcome, thinking — incorrectly — that your reality is the only reality," Greene wrote in "The Hidden Reality."
5. Mathematical Universes
Scientists have debated whether mathematics is simply a useful tool for describing the universe, or whether math itself is the fundamental reality, and our observations of the universe are just imperfect perceptions of its true mathematical nature. If the latter is the case, then perhaps the particular mathematical structure that makes up our universe isn't the only option, and in fact all possible mathematical structures exist as their own separate universes.
"A mathematical structure is something that you can describe in a way that's completely independent of human baggage," said Max Tegmark of MIT, who proposed this brain-twistin gidea. "I really believe that there is this universe out there that can exist independently of me that would continue to exist even if there were no humans."


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Volkswagen Tiguan 1,4 TSI 4Motion 2018 Test Drive Review EuromanDriver. This base model of the VW Tiguan with 1.4 petrol engine is great value for the money. It drives smoothly and accelerates good enough for city and highway driving. Compare it with the base models of Honda CR-V, Mazda CX5, Volvo XC40, Skoda Karoq, Seat Ateca and more, it seems that you get more engine power here than it the Tiguan revivals. And the Tiguan is a very comfortable SUV. This model of the Tiguan even has automatic transmission and can't get automatic with Mazda CX5 for this price. The Skoda Karaq and Seat Ateca are those who are in the same price level. PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO MY CHANNEL. Honest test drive reviews with Euroman Driver.
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The democratization of DJing by way of digital technology has had at least one unfortunate consequence. The DJ mix, once considered an art form in its own right, has been downgraded to such a degree that we wonder who bothers to listen to them anymore. Take a glance at our inbox on any given day of the week, and you'll find bagfuls of perfectly executed but totally boring Ableton-constructed sound collages. There's a card in Brian Eno's Oblique Strategies deck that reads "Humanize something free of error." With that in mind, this week's Signal to Noise takes a look at five DJ mixes recorded live from the board, warts-and-all, at recent parties in San Francisco.
Tyrel Williams at Delta Funk
This one's so fresh that it was just recorded last Saturday. Tyrel Williams is a recent San Francisco transplant from Chicago whose past includes a stint at the respected Gramaphone record store and a three-year residency at Smart Bar doing an all-vinyl party called Acid Test. Here he shows off his razor sharp Chicago-style mixing with a set of forgotten '80s house classics played on wax. Along the way he makes room for possibly the best hip-house track we've ever heard.
Masters at Work at 1015 Folsom
New York's Masters at Work hardly need an introduction. The duo has played an enormous role in the development of house music since the late '80s. Yet, though they're incredibly influential, it's rare that both Kenny "Dope" Gonzalez and "Little" Louie Vega get a chance to perform together. This mix, recorded from a rare recent gig at 1015 Folsom, shows off exactly why MAW is such a respected name among dance music heads. They create a blender of a soundscape where snippets of classics are torn through and mangled by hard isolation and old-school powermixing.
Slow Hands at As You Like It
Also from New York is Ryan Cavanagh. Recording and DJing under the name of Slow Hands, his style is more in line with the new school of East Coast house promoted by the likes of Soul Clap and the trendy Wolf + Lamb label. Through his productions he's developed a reputation as a figure aligned with (but not constrained by) the recent turn towards slower tempos in house music. In this mix, recorded from his performance at As You Like It, he drops a set of disco-influenced tracks that manage to sound laid-back while still keeping things squarely in dancefloor territory.
Mark E at Honey Soundsystem
U.K.-based producer Mark E doesn't make his way out to San Francisco that often, but when he does, it's an event. First popping on the scene in the mid-'00s with the now highly collectible "R+B Drunky" re-edit, he's since developed into one of the underground's most in-demand house producers. In this mix, recorded at Honey Soundsystem, he stretches out over the course of two hours to deliver a set that flies through underground disco rarities, obscure '90s house remixes, and looped-out contemporary fare.
Cole Medina at Go Bang!
Hailing from the same L.A. suburb that birthed The Carpenters (Downey, if you're wondering), Cole Medina is something of a modern re-edit guru. From his debut in 2002 with "Buffalo Bill" on up until now, Medina has cultivated a style that mixes vintage aesthetics with contemporary production chops. A regular fixture at Go Bang!, this mix sees him adopting the spirit of the long-running Deco Lounge party with a set that shows off an impressive collection of disco rarities and retro-tinged house cuts.
Follow us on Twitter @SFAllShookDown, follow Derek Opperman @DerekOpperman, and like us at Facebook.com/SFAllShookDown.


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I am planning to use an older toaster oven to make a DIY reflow oven. Specifically the oven is a Hamilton Beach Model 31507R which is 120v @ 60 Hz and is 1300W. First things first I never trust a product label. I pulled the cover off to gain access to the heating elements, to confirm the resistance values of the four heating elements. They are wired in series so Rt= R1 + R2 ..... for a total of 44.4 Ohms (11.1 each). Now using my known Voltage of 120V and the stated Wattage on the label I can say that:
R=V^2/W - plug it in and you get 120^2/1300 = 11.076 Ohms<-- That is about what I measured on one element BUT there are 4 wired in series.
I=P/V - that yields 1300/120 = 10.8333... Amps <-- I hope this is incorrect and that little oven does not pull almost 11 Amps.
If I use numbers I measured then I get the following result:
W=V^2/R - with my values is 120^2/44.4 = 324.324... Watts <-- This is with the known 120V and the measured total resistance of 44.4 Ohms.
I=P/V - gives a much different value of 324.324/44.4 = 2.702 Amps more what I would have guessed for a tiny toaster oven.
I must be missing something elemental here series resistors should be totaled before Ohms law is applied correct? That statement assumes you are looking at the entire circuit not a single node. Wiki states "The total resistance of resistors in series is equal to the sum of their individual resistances." I know there is a problem with my math. If anyone would be willing to check / correct me I would really appreciate it. I know I can simply test the amperage of the device with my meter however I have a 10 amp fuse, so if Hamilton Beach is telling the truth about the Wattage I will smoke my fuse. One last thing that just occurred to me, is that this is AC and I should have used Z for impedance not R for Ohms but this is a purely resistive AC circuit and the equations are well, equal...... for that condition. Really if anyone out there is willing to flog me for my error I would be grateful I have spent half my day trying to decide how many magic pixies are in that wire.
I do have pictures of the oven wiring but they are freaking huge 1.2+Megs and I didnt want to kill anyone's mobile data. I need the calculated amperage to connect the correct tool for an actual amperage measurement. I can borrow a clamp meter if I have to. Once I have the numbers in place I can decide on going with a TRIAC or being shoved into using an SSR.
Again Thank you all for any help you can give.


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Dana Gas said to see creditors turn debtors as showdown deepens
Gas producer says sukuk litigation may last more than 10 years
The standoff between Dana Gas and its bondholders took a fresh twist after the Middle Eastern energy explorer that's trying to void US$700 million of its own debt was said to believe investors may even have to pay the company.
The Sharjah-based gas producer says that in one scenario the court battle with holders of the Islamic securities, or sukuk, may see it having to return less than 10 per cent of the amount it borrowed, according to a person familiar with Dana Gas's own analysis. In a second scenario, it believes creditors may have to pay it as much as $150m, the person said, adding that the case may last more than 10 years.
Dana Gas, which announced plans to restructure the debt in May, this week retracted an offer to replace the bonds and is pursuing a resolution in court. The company said in June the debt was no longer Shariah-compliant. Investors questioned the validity of the claim since neither sukuk regulations nor United Arab Emirates laws governing the matter have changed since they were issued in 2013.
"You cannot in any circumstance, in whatever structure, borrow money and then say something changed and what I issued is no longer a debt obligation, therefore I don't owe you money," said Abdul Kadir Hussain, the head of fixed-income asset management in Dubai at Arqaam Capital Ltd., which holds some of the securities. "It doesn't work that way. If any courts decided that, it would do significant damage to the Islamic capital markets."
Dana Gas declined to comment.
Read more:
Dana Gas says it withdraws offer to sukuk shareholders, to pursue litigation driven outcome
Dana Gas says UK court findings favourable
Shariah law prohibits interest-based financial products and forbids investments in companies involved in activities considered unethical, such as gambling, prostitution and alcohol- and pork-related businesses. In the absence of a centralized national Shariah board, such as the regulatory body in Malaysia, Islamic borrowers seek the advice of trained scholars to approve contracts.
These are the two likely outcomes of the case as seen by Dana Gas:
- The Islamic bonds will be unwound, and the company would return the principal amount of $700m to investors. But it would claim back the profit payments made since 2008, which total $635 million.
- The sukuk will be treated as equity. A so-called mudarabah contract was used to structure the debt, which stipulates that the capital providers agree to share the profits with the entrepreneur at an agreed ratio or percentage.
- Since Dana Gas Egypt, the asset underlying the sukuk, has generated a profit of just $60m, the company has claims over the profit payments made to creditors, the person said.
- To calculate the $150m bondholders may owe Dana Gas, the company subtracted the $425m value of Dana Gas Egypt and the profit it generated from the total payments made to sukukholders.
"I find it ironic that they are trying to hide behind Shariah law when the fundamental guiding principles of all Shariah is that your intentions guide your actions," Hussain said. "Their intention was to borrow money, and now they're unwilling to pay the money back."
Missed Payment
The two mudarabah Islamic bonds are each $350m in size and mature on Oct. 31, with one paying 9 per cent and the other, which includes a conversion clause, 7 per cent. The company on Monday missed a profit payment after claiming it's not bound by the commitment since the securities no longer comply with local laws, an issue UK courts will rule on later this year.
The debt revamp is the company's second in five years as $1 billion of overdue payments from Egypt and Iraq's Kurdish region leave it grappling for funds. As of the end of March, Dana Gas had about $298m of cash on hand.
"We have seen corporates go through difficulties previously and have managed the challenges," said Rizwan Kanji, a Dubai-based partner at law firm King & Spalding LLP who specializes in Islamic finance. "Some have done this by applying a more discussion-based approach and others less so."
* Bloomberg
Updated: August 8, 2017 06:58 PM


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Texas A&M confronts reemerging and tropical diseases at annual health care conference
Once thought to be on the brink of eradication, certain infectious and tropical diseases are emerging among the general population due to complacency, the increase of affordable air travel, antimicrobial resistance and vaccine hesitancy. Diseases such as murine typhus and meningitis, along with emerging infections such as Zika, challenge medical professionals to find innovative methods of diagnosis and treatment.
The Texas A&M Coastal Bend Health Education Center seeks to address the educational needs of providers in South Texas by presenting the Tropical and Infectious Disease Conference annually in Corpus Christi. The 2017 conference was held April 21 and 22 and provided physicians and other medical professionals with the knowledge they need to identify and treat these diseases.
"The purpose of this conference was to educate the health care professional about some important infectious diseases that impact Texas, along with methods of diagnosis, treatment and prevention with the most up-to-date information available," said Michael Bullen, MD, clinical infectious disease specialist, a fellow of the Infectious Diseases Society of America (FIDSA), and the conference's course director.
The climate, a large immigrant population and high poverty levels in South Texas create the perfect environment for the spread of tropical and emerging infectious diseases. Bullen said medical professionals have been able to control some infectious diseases while "many others seem to stay one or many steps ahead."
Physicians and other health professionals need to be able to identify the symptoms of reemerging and tropical diseases, as well as treat them, because they can mimic other conditions and symptoms. Couple that with antimicrobial resistance and improper diagnosis, and the knowledge gap remains wide open. This conference attempted to close that gap by discussing the infectious diseases common to the Coastal Bend region, proper methods of diagnosing these diseases, and the new technology and methods to control, treat and contain the spread of these illnesses.
The event included a keynote address by Herbert L. DuPont, MD, FACP, FIDSA, a renowned infectious disease epidemiologist, who discussed how the human body's own bacteria can be harnessed to treat various medical problems.
"The intestinal microbiome is a powerful factory of bacteria producing chemicals that control health and produce disease," DuPont said. "Clostridium difficile (C-diff) infection is the most important cause of hospital-acquired infection in the United States, resulting in 29,000 deaths. All physicians need to know how to diagnose and treat this disorder, which tends to recur and can cause chronic suffering and death."
DuPont, the director for the Center for Infectious Disease at the University of Texas School of Public Health, said C-diff infection is becoming a hospital crisis "because half of the patients in a hospital are receiving antibiotics that deplete their intestinal microbiome diversity, and spores of C-diff are found in the hospital environment." He said this creates a "perfect storm" for the infection to spread and cause recurrent disease and death.
Carrie L. Byington, MD, dean of the Texas A&M College of Medicine, senior vice president of the Texas A&M University Health Science Center and vice chancellor for health services at The Texas A&M University System, presented her research on molecular detection of respiratory viruses. Working with BioFire Diagnostics, Byington helped develop FilmArray, a rapid test that can distinguish viral infections from bacterial and even parasitical ones. The technology is now used in thousands of hospitals around the world.
"Knowing what virus or bacteria is causing the illness is essential for both proper treatment and helping to stop the spread of anti-microbial resistant bacteria," said Byington, who also chaired the U.S. Olympic Committee's Infectious Disease Advisory Group, where she worked to protect American athletes from the Zika virus. "Especially in South Texas, where emerging infectious diseases like Zika are currently spreading, technology like this becomes all the more important."
Other conference topics included murine typhus in South Texas, a comprehensive review of the Zika virus and Congenital Zika Syndrome, pediatric tuberculosis and a discussion on the roots of vaccine hesitancy. There was also a talk given on ethical and legal ramifications of serious medical errors.
The conference, which is an initiative of Texas A&M's Healthy South Texas, counted toward health professional's continuing education requirements.
"The event highlights the value of the Coastal Bend Health Education Center and the Healthy South Texas program, two important initiatives of the Texas A&M Health System," Byington said. "The conference will arm health care professionals in South Texas and beyond, with knowledge of the emerging infectious diseases that pose a threat to this critical region of the state. At Texas A&M Health Science Center we are proud to provide this opportunity for medical professionals to learn from each other about the newest threats and how to help prevent the spread of these diseases, in order to preserve the health of their patients and the residents of the state."
Media contact: Dee Dee Grays, 979.436.0611.


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China Auto Parts and Service Show 2012
- For more information about the event, please visit the official website
- Take advantage of opportunities in auto parts, technical equipment, repair and maintenance and accessories sectors
- Meet with industry professionals and potential buyers of new and advanced products
- International and specialized auto parts and service show presenting China's homegrown brands and industry chain-wide services
SHANGHAI--Feb. 3, 2012: "Dynamic and Exciting" - China Auto Parts and Service Show 2012, Auto Parts China co-sponsored by major organizers of the Beijing and Shanghai auto shows, will be held at Shanghai New International Expo Centre (SNIEC), 2345 Longyang Road, Pudong, Shanghai, from June 12th to 15th, 2012. The exhibition will take place in SNIEC's new 70,000-square meter N-series pavilion equipped with the most comprehensive modern facilities. The event is expected to attract over 2,000 exhibitors from the auto parts, technical equipment, repair and maintenance and accessories sectors. More than 30,000 industry professionals from the domestic and foreign complete-vehicle OEM sector, auto 4S shops, auto repair, maintenance and refitting shops in the Chinese after market as well as wholesalers, agents and distributors of auto parts are expected to attend. The show aims to leverage the unique position of Shanghai as China's trade hub and one of the world's key trade ports, creating a market-driven international and comprehensive exhibition platform, which provides players in the Chinese auto parts and related industries with access to the country's domestic brands, industry chain-wide services, technologies and trade.Ā
Jointly presented by top international auto show organizers
Organizers: China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, Shanghai Sub-Council; China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, Automotive Sub-Council; The Society of Automotive Engineers of China; Shanghai International Exhibition Co., Ltd.
Co-organizer: Beijing & Shanghai Automobile Exhibition Co., Ltd.
Supported by powerful and influential partners in and out of China (listed in no particular order)
Overseas co-organizer: IMAG - Internationaler Messe- und Ausstellungsdienst GmbH
Complete vehicle supporters:
SAIC Motor ; FAW Group Corporation; Dongfeng Motor Corporation; Chang'an Automobile (Group) Co., Ltd.; Great Wall Motor; Anhui Jianghuai Automobile; Zhejiang Geely Holding Group; Brilliance Auto Group
Group organizing units:
China Association of Automotive Manufacturers, Vehicle-use Motor & Electrical Appliance Committee; China Association of Automotive Manufacturers, Relevant Industry Branch; China Association of Automotive Manufacturers, Body & Accessory Committee; China Auto Parts & Accessories Corporation; National Federation of Commercial Vehicle Parts Production and Marketing; Huamao International Exhibition (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.; China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, Taizhou Branch; Anjishiyu Convention and Exhibition Service Co., Ltd.; Ningbo Automobile Parts Industry Association; Cixi Automobile & Motorcycle Parts Industry Association; Yuhuan Automobile & Motorcycle Parts Industry Association; Beijing Huayicaifu International Media Co., Ltd.; Shanghai Lianheng Communications Co., Ltd.; Shanghai Yongrong Advertising Co., Ltd.; Rui'an Fubo Network Technology Co., Ltd.; Taipei World Trade Center; China Economic News Service; Taiwan Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers' Association; Chan Chao International Co., Ltd.; Appeal Inc; IPR Forum; Rui'an Automobile & Motorcycle Parts Industry Association; He Chuang Tian Cheng (Beijing) International Convention and Exhibition Co., Ltd.
Supported by:
China Automotive Maintenance and Repair Trade Association, China Auto Fitting Industry Federation, China Auto Parts Supplies Industry Federation, China Automotive Parts Supplies Market Association, China Auto Parts Industry Mainstream Media Association, Brake System Committee of China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM), Vehicle-Used Radiator Committee of CAAM, Vehicle-Used Filters Committee of CAAM, Vehicle-Used Instrument Committee of CAAM, Vehicle-Used Lamps Committee of CAAM, Wheel Committee of CAAM, Anhui Branch of China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT), Shanghai Automotive Parts Circulating Trade Association (APCTA), Shanghai Federation of Industry and Commerce - Auto Parts & Supplies Industry Association, Anhui Automobile Industry Association, Jiangsu Automobile Industry Association, Anhui Automobile Commodities Association, Yingkou Auto Maintenance Equipment Industry Association as well as relevant provincial and municipal commissions for the promotion of international trade, automobile industry associations, auto parts associations, automotive repair and maintenance associations, automobile dealers associations and automobile supplies associations.Ā
The whole industry chain covers parts and components, technical equipment, repair and maintenance and automotive supplies
- All kinds of auto parts/components, fittings and accessories;
- Equipment, materials and tools for automobile manufacturing;
- In-vehicle measuring, testing and diagnostic devices;
- Automotive repair/maintenance equipment and maintenance supplies
- Aftermarket services and products;
Participate in an Exhibition Focused on China's Homegrown Brands and Share in China's Large Automotive Market
Committed to Building A World-Class Platform for Exchanges of Technology and Trade
China is the largest automotive market in the world, with a huge demand for technical equipment, parts, repair and maintenance products and supplies from both the automobile manufacturing and aftermarket sectors. Auto parts and related industries will play a crucial role in the overall development of China's automotive industry.
Beijing & Shanghai Automobile Exhibition, together with established Chinese automobile associations and organizations, is committed to the growth and progress of China's automotive industry and development of a large-scale global platform for information exchange, trade, cooperation and display of automotive parts and after-sale services for the entire industrial chain focusing on domestically-made automobile brands and market-oriented commercialization.
China Auto Parts & Service Show 2012 will bring together professional visitors and buyers with strong financial backgrounds, with support from and participation by leading automotive parts makers and specialty automobile organizations worldwide.
Services for visitors and buyers to ensure both an excellent experience for attendees as well as high levels of floor traffic
Bringing exhibitors and professional visitors and buyers together
We give equal attention to both domestic and foreign players, in terms of both quality of service as well as level of availability of those services, with focus on both pre-sales and after-sales markets, aiming to enable each exhibitor to achieve their respective goal. Our invite list features professionals from the OEM sector including pre-sales whole vehicles and assembly through sourcing centers for whole vehicle and large automobile component makers both in and outside of China. In addition we have invited established buyers in the after-sales market including distribution, repair, maintenance, refitting, accessories and related products through automobile associations' resources and channels.
We will take full advantage of the rich experience we have gained from hosting international automobile shows and seek to enhance cooperation between both domestic and foreign organizations and the media. Invited guests include professional visitors and buyers involved in automotive research and development, design, engineering, technology, sourcing, manufacturing, testing, repair, marketing, sales and services in a move to maximize the availability of collaborative opportunities for the show's exhibitors.
The annual event gathers together the industry's top 100 companies who will take the lead in the introduction of new products with the latest technologies
Nine major complete vehicle companies will debut in the high-tech zone with premier auto parts and componentsĀ
We are now is in the process of inviting exhibitors with more than 1,500 firms having confirmed their participation and confirmed exhibition space already exceeding 60,000 square meters. In addition to the auto parts units of key domestic complete vehicle manufacturers, including SAIC, FAW, Dongfeng, Changan, Great Wall, JAC, Chery, Jeely and Brilliance, a number of well-known auto parts makers both within and outside of China, including Bosch, Delphi, Denso, Johnson Controls, BorgWarner, Dunlop, Yokohama Tire, Michelin, Hankook Tire, Bridgestone, Faurecia, Huayu Automotive Systems, Visteon, Honeywell, JTEKT, Carmate, Aisin, Shaanxi Fast Gear, C&U Group, Hebei Lingyun and Longzhong Holdings, are also included on the list of exhibitors.
Seminars, Technical Exchanges, New Product Previews, Business Trade Pairing and Purchase Inquiry SessionsĀ
A series of participation-driven concurrent eve nts provide extensive networking opportunities for all those who attend Ā
We will hold a variety of conferences and events on a wide variety of topics, with the intent of encouraging vendors to engage in exchanges of technical know-how and to present new products and of assisting industry associations and organizations in hosting seminars on major topics of interest. Some events will bring together specialty media and trade organizations in a business trade pairing programme. We have invited related government agencies, complete vehicle companies and auto parts assembly facilities to these events to preside over purchase policy and inquiry meetings, in a move to drive the participation of guests, buyers, and visitors, and, overall, maximize the attendance of industry professionals to the event.


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Festivals & Events:
Trunk Show and Lace Knitting Class
Jennifer Miller, yarn/color designer and creator of Theodora's Pearls will have a trunk show of her hand-dyed fine fibers using unusual and luxury fibers. She will also conduct a knitting class, Introduction to Lace Knitting, at 2 pm at Needle Rock. Please RSVP at 970-728-3427.


text: Digital The Young Turks/AmEx Film Deal Makes Movie Watching 'Democratic' Financial company talks about distributing cinema onlineBy Michelle Castillo|June 2, 2014 Share By Michelle Castillo|June 2, 2014 Share Since director Davis Guggenheim's latest film Spent: Looking for Change revolves around Americans who are living outside the financial system, sponsor American Express believed that the best way to allow the public to view it was to put it out on the great equalizer: the Internet. "We wanted to premiere Spent online instead of through a typical theatrical release because it's the most democratic way for people to view the movie," Leah Gerstner, AmEx vp of public affairs, told Adweek. "Technology is the hero for creating better options for the financially underserved, and we felt we should look to technology to distribute this film to a wide audience—through our partners like The Young Turks, who have a large, engaged audience and a reputation for honestly tackling issues that are often underreported, as well as through a broad social media campaign." AmEx partnered with the biggest digital news org on YouTube, The Young Turks, to distribute the movie. While it marks the first foray into film distribution for TYT, the content fits directly with its audience of more than 38 million views a month, per the company. The Cenk Uygur-led organization is known for being outspoken about American economic issues, especially when they pertain to low-income and disadvantaged sectors, and saw the movie as a way to drive more awareness to the topic. "We are a content company, and whether it's a 140-second clip on the top news of the day or a 30-plus minute documentary, we are happy to curate and distribute that content if it is compelling and fits into our programming," said The Young Turks COO Steve Oh. The film will debut on June 4 in Los Angeles. Then, it will stream for free on TYT's YouTube page, as well as SpentMovie.com and AmEx's YouTube page, where it will be hosted by TYT. Gerstner said digital distribution allows people to see the film instantly on their own schedules instead of having to go to a theater or wait for a film festival. The financial organization has been heavily pushing its brand digitally, including its Unstaged concert series featuring Pharrell Williams. Gerstener added AmEx is also making a push to improve financial inclusion across the U.S. The company provides products like Bluebird, a checking account and debit card with a points system for bonuses, and prepaid card American Express Serve. In addition, AmEx also donates money to startups that provide solutions for financial inclusion. "We hope Spent will bring awareness to this important issue and inspire new thinking, new ideas, as well as collaboration from the public and private sectors, nonprofits, startups, regulators and policymakers to work toward change," Gerstner added. Share http://adweek.it/1p1ppFo copy Adweek Adweek


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If you own a home in Tenerife, then you need to know your property is in safe hands.CONTACT US NOW
If you own a home in Tenerife, then you need to know your property is in safe hands.CONTACT US NOW
If you use your property as a holiday home for yourselves, your friends and family, you will need someone to look after it when you are not there.
We will take the management of the property into our safe and capable hands to ensure this is the case, so when you return to Tenerife you find the property in excellent condition.
In partnership with you, we will:
Clean and maintain your property keeping you fully involved with any maintenance issues or work which may need to be done to ensure the high standards are kept.
Manage all matters during a visit and sorting out all issues with the property on your behalf.
We will keep you fully informed on all matters concerning your property so that there will be no surprises.
If you have a property on Golf del Sur contact JDH Property Management. We have a menu of services to fit your particular needs. We are here to help!


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Steel Guitar is a true art form. Many continue to espouse the wonders of the modern steel sound and Henry Senior Jr. gets it down to a science on his humorously titled 2016 CD Plates Of Meat. Backed up by a hot band, including electric guitarist Paul Lush, Henry steels his way through eight tracks that clock in around a half hour and the album is time well spent. Fans of modern masters like Mike Neer and Ville Leppänen of Finlands Southpaw Steel n Twang will lap up Henrys hard driving, instro steel-rock. Although Henry is masterful on his Emmons and Williams pedal steel guitars, this album is no Nashville love fest. Henry sounds equally inspired by say, Duane Allman who was known for his great electric slide work. Speaking about his album, Henry tells mwe3.com, Yep, its my first and only solo album! It didnt start out as an album I, just wanted to record some ideas. It took about a year to complete, the writing happened alongside the recording. Id generally do a short demo of the head at home, take it to the studio where wed work on a structure and arrangement. Plates Of Meat is cockney rhyming slang for feet which are obviously an essential part of playing pedal steel! There is a long-standing tradition of puns in pedal steel album titles that I was keen to respect, but also to put a British slant on it. A 21st century classic of a much revered musical style, Plates Of Meat is truly food for thought while devouring Henry Seniors fantastic, instrumental steel guitar sounds. www.henrysenior.co.uk / www.maidenvoyage.net
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How to Replace the Galaxy S7, S7 Edge Battery Replacement
BY May | March 16th, 2016 | 28 | 22
As the 2016 flagships of Samsung, the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge feature higher capacity batteries compared with the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge. The Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge batteries are non-removable, which doesn't it's unable to be replaced. In some cases, the battery has to be replaced in order to cure the device. Here we're going to show you how to replace the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge batteries step by step.
Tools Needed:
- Heat Gun/Hot Plate Machine
- Metal Spudger/iSesamo Tool
- Plastic Spudger/Prying Tool
- Small Phillips Screwdriver
- Guitar Picks/Playing Cards
- Tweezers
How to Disassemble the Galaxy S7 for Battery Replacement?
1. Power off the device and remove the Galaxy S7 SIM card tray.
Once you remove the SIM card tray, you'll find it's wearing a waterproof adhesive.
2. Remove the Galaxy S7 back cover.
Heat up along the sides of Galaxy S7 for 1~2 minutes, the back cover is glued to the rear housing with a waterproof adhesive, which is pretty sticky. Pay your patience on this step and make sure the Galaxy S7 back cover adhesive is nicely warm and loosen.
Pop up the back cover a little bit with the help of a screen separator tool, carefully insert the plastic tip into the back cover and run it along the edges of Galaxy S7 back cover. The adhesive is easily cooled down, you'll need to heat it up back and forth before releasing the back cover. Likewise, be patient.
Now the Galaxy S7 back cover was pulled out from a large portion of strong adhesive as you can see from the below picture, also avoid to hurt the fingerprint sensor in the middle of rear housing while you're heating.
3. Release the Galaxy S7 rear housing set.
Undo the 12 long screws in the rear housing. These screws are in the same size, no worries to mix them up. Use a pair of tweezers to pick up the screws if they're still stuck in the holes.
Remove the Galaxy S7 wireless charging chip and antenna module, be careful not to damage this vulnerable part.
Peel off the yellow tape and then remove the Galaxy S7 loudspeaker assembly.
4. Pry up the connectors shown in below to release the Galaxy S7 motherboard.
The connectors include 3 antenna cable connectors, volume button flex connector, power button flex connector, home button flex connector, front-facing camera connector, rear-facing camera connector, LCD assembly connector, battery flex connector, and ear speaker flex connector.
5. Release the Galaxy S7 battery replacement.
Heat up to soften the Galaxy S7 battery adhesive, wedge the metal spudger under the battery and pry it back and forth, you may also need a plastic playing card and a plastic spudger to help to remove the battery. The battery is glued to the front housing with strong adhesive in square, that's why the battery is stuck so well.
Check below tutorial video for how to tear down the Galaxy S7:
How to Disassemble the Galaxy S7 Edge for Battery Replacement?
Step 1. Shut down the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge then remove the SIM card tray.
Step 2. Heat up the back the S7 edge(until it's too hot to touch).
Step 3. Apply the suction cup to the back cover of the S7 edge.
Step 4. Pry the edge of the S7 edge back cover a little bit to insert the thin metal spudger.
Step 5. Slide away the metal spudger a little bit then insert some business cards/playing cards to do the rest.
Step 6. Once the back cover has been released, undo the 12 Phillips screws holding the rear housing.
Step 7. Use the plastic separation tool to separate the top plastic bracket then remove the wireless charging pad.
Step 8. Disconnect the battery cable, power cable, display cable and the volume button cable.
Step 9. Use a pair of tweezers to remove the loudspeaker module.
Step 10. Pop off all the antenna cables and the fingerprint scanner cable.
Step 11. Disconnect the earphone connector, front-facing camera connector and the proximity and light sensor connector.
Step 12. Lift up the motherboard then disconnect the charging port connector.
Step 13. Heat up to the adhesive underneath the battery, then use the metal spudger to lift it up (slowly and carefully).
Check below tutorial video for how to tear down the Galaxy S7 Edge.
Visit our Youtube channel to check how to reassemble Galaxy s7 and S7 Edge
You may also like:
- How to Successfully Tear Down the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Screen
- How to Tear Down/Disassemble the Galaxy S7 for Screen Replacement
- How to Replace the Galaxy S7 Screen, Charging Port and Home Button
- Tutorial: How to Repair Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Cracked Screen
- For Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge SM-G935/G935F/G935A/G935V/G935P/G935T/G935R4/G935W Battery Replacement - Grade S+
- For Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge SM-G935/G935F/G935A/G935V/G935P/G935T/G935R4/G935W8 LCD and Digitizer Assembly Replacement - Gold - With Logo - Grade S+
- For Samsung Galaxy S7 SM-G930/G930F/G930A/G930V/G930P/G930T/G930R4/G930W8 LCD Screen and Digitizer Assembly Replacement - Gold - With Logo - Grade S+
- For Samsung Galaxy S7 SM-G930/G930F/G930A/G930V/G930P/G930T/G930R4/G930W8 Battery Door Adhesive Replacement - Grade S+
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- How to Successfully Tear Down the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Screen
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- How to Repair Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Cracked Screen
- How to Tear Down/Disassemble the Galaxy S7 for Screen Replacement
- 7 iPhone Privacy Settings You Should Check Today
- How to Solve the Common HTC One Problems
- Will Blackberry Regain Any of its lost Market Share with its new "Blackberry Z10"?
- iPhone X Water Damage Repair Guide (Still Work in 2019)
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will replacing the oled screen of samsung galaxy s7 cause the internal memory to be wiped? I currently have a broken and black screen. Alternatively is there a way to transfer my data using
a computer software program?
Is battery EB-BG930ABE same with EB-BG930ABA? I have a phone with EB-BG930ABA but it's so hard to find it in my country. WIll it fit if i change it with EB-BG930ABE ? Thx
Is it possible to t and battery from s7 active & install it in the s7 edge?
I submerge my s7 edge into a pool when I was swimming for only 6 seconds and the power went off.. I thought its a water resistant. Do u know what happened to my phone? What should I do? Please I wanted to send my phone to a Samsung trusted company in Australia where I bought it from to fix… Will u recommend which one somewhere in Sydney and would u please give me their address?
Water resistant is not the same as waterproof. It will resist water to a certain extent, i.e a splash of water or maybe having the occasional drink knocked over it but it wont tolerate a full submersion in water.
Oh shut up, it will "tolerate" submersion asi it is ip68 certified which means submersion into 1,5m deep water for 30mins. The problem is he was swimming with it – moving the phone underwater.
I had problems with mine, get a wireless charger,alternate charging with the plug & wireless. When the battery heats up a few times you will get the moisture out, they are not covered for water damage even if you have insurance, good luck
Do the company change the battery of samsung s7 edge if needed??
Is it possible to use an S7 battery in a Note 7? or are the flex connectors and physical battery size different in both?
Ok i have question. Is it possible to replace the 3000mah battery in my NOTE 5 with the 3600mah from the S7 edge to give it even more power?
Ok i have somewhat of a stupid question. Is it possible to replace the 3000mah battery in my Note 5 with the 3600mah from the S7 edge to give it even more power?
Note 5 battery little bit bigger than S7 EDGE
After I update software my s7 edge phone having problems by
Battery running very fast and the phone very heat…
What's the suggestion?
be very careful. mine keep getting really hot and the a few days later the phne blew up. it was only 6 months old.
i know this is a stupid question but what do i use to remove the sim tray
Ok i have somewhat of a stupid question. Is it possible to replace the 3000mah battery in my S7 with the 3600mah from the S7 edge to give it even more power?
Can i pay someone or a company to do this for me?
But why you didnt show how to put all parts together and make the phone functional again?????


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Community First's Help and Support Directory is an easy to use directory of local community services. It has been created to help people connect with support services and community groups where they live.
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I walked into Wal-Mart in Dearborn and seemed out of place because I was white and buying alcohol. (Dearborn is a Detroit suburb with the highest concentration of Muslims in the USA.) I probably looked extra-weird as I had just finished a 40-mile bike ride and was still dressed in clothes appropriate for cycling. I started worrying about my bicycle out in the parking lot on my car, unsecured, which somebody could steal quite easily by just walking up to it and looking like they knew what they were doing as they took it off my car. Yet worry didn't overtake me: I calmly bought some Clif bars, dark beer and herbal tea, then walked back out to my car, un-surprised that my bicycle was still there. (I wonder if my purchases sound too Hipster but honestly those were the food items I eat which the Seminary didn't supply during my summer classes.)
I did worry a bit so I eventually bought a bike lock cable for when I went into some of the harder parts of the Detroit area. This incident made me reflect on how we live in a society built so strongly on trust.
I remember when I was a kid, I would get up early on summer vacations and head to a small arcade on the edge of the campground. This usually resulted in me wasting a few quarters on pinball. One day, as I entered, I noticed something a little odd below one of the games. I went over, investigated, and found a wallet with $40 in it and no ID. Considering I was ten, $40 seemed like a tremendous amount of money so I picked it up and ran back to ask my mom what I should do with it. For her it was obvious that we should give it to the man who owned the campground and arcade to see if anybody had reported a missing wallet. Later that day, I was walking around the campground and the owner stopped me to tell me someone had reported the lost wallet and gave me $10 for finding it. I don't think that money lasted long – it was probably used for pinball and mini-golf right there at the campground within a few days.
Recently while in Canada, I accidentally left my passport and $150 on top of my car and drove off. I honestly expected someone to turn it in to a local police department at some point. I called the Canadian embassy and they seemed in no rush for me to report it lost immediately. This surprised me as somebody could possibly use my passport illegally. It never was found as I checked with all the nearby police departments a few days later: I suspect it flew off the freeway far enough from the road that nobody saw it. (Now I have a whole bunch of paperwork to get a new passport.)
Each of these situations relied on a trust upon someone else in society: I trusted that no one was going to steal my bike, the guy who lost his wallet trusted that whomever found it would give it back, and I trusted people would turn in my passport if they found it. The question is where do we get that trust?
When Alexis de Tocqueville visited the US about 200 years ago, he noted that Americans had a much stronger system of law and order than Frenchmen. It didn't seem like Americans had much worse punishments, as he thought capital punishment was less common than in France, but that the USA had a much higher assurance that a criminal would be caught and punished than France. Criminals feared the certainty of punishment more than the possibility of severe punishment.
De Tocqueville's reasoning seems good for criminal minds and was particularly applicable in the small scale of early America where everyone knew everyone else. However, does this reasoning really work for complex anonymous societies where the victim of the crime isn't known and certain crimes are pretty hard to track down. If someone had just walked off with my bike in the middle of Dearborn, where I'm a guest – which is obvious by my Maryland plates – I don't know who would have stopped them or how the police would have been able to track down someone who just stole it opportunistically.
There seems to be something deeper in society that helps us all behave with honesty and decency so we can trust each other. We all know that Original Sin is real and any of us could become a criminal very easily. Fear of punishment helps, but only goes so far as we can realize certain things are almost impossible to trace like a lost item with no personal information. Yet, most of the time, such an item turns up at lost and found.
Some may argue for American exceptionalism… there may be something to that but I noticed similar patterns in Canada. The question about exceptionalism, or any reason for that matter, is where does this mindset come from? Is it from the Constitution? What about deist philosophy? Is it from a secular concern for others? Or is it from Christian roots our society supported by everyone, even non-Christians?
The constitution is a great rule of law that understandings of the people that itself no piece of paper can cause such a change in attitudes. Obviously, the American Constitution affects American life but the alternate route of its effect is in the beliefs underlying it that brought it about and continue today whether through the Constitution or through other vehicles. The other three options offer a deeper understanding.
Deist philosophy was definitely the belief system of Thomas Jefferson and has had a profound impact on the United States in the ability to accommodate various religions. It also created a good set of legal rules for governance. However, its morality doesn't seem to stand up when put to the test. If God is a watchmaker who created a perfect world and then left it to go on its own, what reason do we have for being moral? The only reason we have is secular concern for others which will address next.
A secular concern for others can be legitimate and there are examples of moral atheists. However, we have to ask where that morality comes from since if there is no God, there is no meaning. I'm no better for returning a wallet than for taking a Magnum 44 to your head because there is nothing to give value or meaning to those acts. Secular concern for others' appropriate Christian principles without the appropriate theoretical base for those principles: you need to have an ultimate source of meaning, that is a God, for there to be any meaning and secularism denies this.
In the end, we only trust someone because we believe there is some commonality in a common meaning of reality and a common goal of humanity – in other words, I trust someone because I believe he has the same moral code that I do. Not only must we have the same moral code but it must be a code that creates trust between individuals. Pure fear can create a certain degree of society but the totalitarian regimes of the last century show us that that is not a society of trust like we have the privilege of experiencing in the Western world. Living in constant fear engenders a lack of trust not more trust. In our society, we agree to moral rules not only in the law books but in general practice that certain acts are good, and moreover will make you a better person.
The American founders seemed to believe that we would be able to trust each other based on a common Christian ethic not just a common law. Still in the US, we all share a Christian vision of the person, even if we aren't Christian. We believe generally in a created, fallen and redeemed person – a person who is good, has a seed of evil, yet can overcome that evil. This is a specifically Christian worldview that others can adapt on a superficial level because it is useful but will struggle to find support in their worldview. I can see a deist, a Buddhist, an atheist, and a Muslim all adopting this view but as far as I can see, their underlying beliefs provide insufficient support. I haven't the time to explain each here but the first three have no basis for moral action and the latter has basis only in a system based on law, not virtue and perfecting oneself. The basis of American civil code is based upon virtue and although it can be theoretically supported by a non-Christian worldview, none of the currently popular views besides Christianity does justice in supporting it.
This leads to some interesting conclusions. To begin with, every time we obey a traffic light we implicitly posit the Trinity. A person who returns a lost wallet is acting as a Christian even if he has never heard of Jesus. Every good civic action is based on a Christian view of reality, even if preformed by a non-Christian. Every good citizen is a good citizen to the degree they follow the Bible, even if they haven't opened its dusty cover in decades. A Christian worldview provides clear parameters for a society based on trust while other worldviews struggle to find any basis for trust and civic virtue. The existence of moral absolutes is a philosophical proof for God and I would argue that positive civic virtue might be a theological proof for the Christian God.