New Methods Indicate that Dark Energy is a Cosmological Constant Confirming Albert Einstein: 96% of the Cosmos is Invisible and We "See" Only 4% of the Whole: Sort of Like Opinions on Legal Issues

Paul Rincon, Science reporter at BBC News, reports about new astronomical methods that confirm dark energy in the universe:

"'The results tell us that dark energy is a cosmological constant, as Einstein proposed. If gravity were the culprit, then we wouldn't be seeing these constant effects of dark energy throughout time.'
...
While dark energy makes up about 74% of the Universe, dark matter - which does not reflect or emit detectable light - accounts for 22%. Ordinary matter - gas, stars, planets and galaxies - makes up just 4% of the cosmos."

In other words, 96% of what we regard to be "the universe" is invisible to us.

By analogy, we can through this knowledge better understand why if you take 100 legal issues and ask 100 people, you may get 100 different opinions (we could say, something comparable to a 96% "dark universe" divergence).

The reason for this may be that the essence of things is hidden under their "visible" surface in the humanly intellectual and emotional comparable to the universe's "dark energy" and "dark matter".

Jurisprudential "rationality", indeed, accepted dogma in any academic field, may to some degree thus be merely the visible tip of a very subjective mental iceberg, whose fundamental substance is found only in the often complex and invisible depths of individual human cognition and personality.

See e.g.
Walter Mischel, Stanford University, On the Interface of Cognition and Personality: Beyond the Person-Situation Debate, American Psychologist, Vol. 34, No. 9, pp. 740-754, September 1979
and
Adam Benforado, Childress Lecture: The Body of the Mind: Embodied Cognition, Law, and Justice, 54 St. Louis L.J. 1185, Summer, 2010.

Obama in Ireland to Start G8 Summit Trip: Address of British Parliament on Tuesday: Deauville, France on Thursday

The Village of Moneygall in Offaly, Ireland, home of Obama's great-great-great-grandfather, Falmouth Kearney, on the mother's side, has been spruced up as Obama kicks off Europe trip with ancestral visit to Ireland, as reported by Honor Mahony at EUobserver.com. Obama is also to make a speech on the College Green in Dublin, according to the Belfast Telegraph, and have a talk with Irish Taoiseach Enda Kenny.

Here is the video report from the Associated Press (AP):



From there, as reported by BBC News, the Obamas will be guests of the Queen at Buckingham Palace, and U.S. President Obama will address both houses of the U.K. Parliament at Westminster Hall, an honor generally reserved only for British monarchs, and he will also meet with British Prime Minister David Cameron.

On Thursday, Obama is off to the G8 Summit in Deauville, France, since the French host the annually-held summit this year. The G8 are "the Group of 8", consisting of the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, France, Italy, Russia, and Japan, with the EU (European Union) holding associated status. As written at What is the G8?:

"G8 members are France, the United States, the United Kingdom, Russia, Germany, Japan, Italy and Canada. Composed of six members at its creation in 1975, and seven with Canada in 1976, the group became the G8 with the inclusion of Russia in 1998. The European Union (then EEC) has been associated since 1977. G8 members represent 15% of world population, 65% of GDP, two thirds of international trade."

As reported at the Washington Post, the Obamas are to close their trip in Poland, where they will meet with leaders from Eastern Europe.

European Parliament has a 60-Second Animation on Handling the Financial Crisis

The European Parliament has a nice 60-second animation on handling the financial crisis. Their suggestion is "Stick to the Rules", a somewhat simplistic approach that can be regarded as a sign of the times in which institutions and governments are coming under increasing scrutiny as to what they are doing.

Here is the video:

USPTO Press Release 11-34 Announces Launch of U.S. Government Intellectual Property Training Database

USPTO Press Release, 11-34 announces launch of "U.S. Government-Wide Intellectual Property Training Database".

European Patent Forum at Taylor Wessing, May 26, 2011, in London, England, Nigel Stoate Speaking

According to Taylor Wessing, partner Nigel Stoate will be speaking at the European Patent Forum on May 26, 2011, 10 a.m. to 17 p.m., Taylor Wessing LLP, 5 New Street Square, London EC4A 3TW.

Lawyerist Suggests How to Deal with Online Name Calling: When People Call You Nasty Names Either Ignore Them or Treat it as Evidence That They Have Run Out of Rational Arguments

Kevin Houchin has a nice piece at the Lawyerist on how to deal with anonymous online name calling, which he says afflicts many bloggers and online writers.

His solution is just to ignore it, or, indeed, to regard it positively as evidence that your opponents have run out of rational arguments and have nothing else of value to say.

My own experience suggests that he is right, since confronting anonymous posters with their nefarious deeds only puts you into contact with people who you do not really want to know or communicate with in any way.

Take a look at his article at Name Calling: I Know You Are, But What Am I? — Lawyerist.