14 The Hampton Roads Messenger Life on Mars FROM PAGE 2


geographical constraints are overcome, while identities become multilayered, complex. As a species, we may not always get along with each other, but these days, thanks to an integrated economy and unprecedented mass movement across the various borders, and modern technology--satellites, cell phones, jet planes, the internet, and so on--we are, like it or not, constantly aware of each other’s existence. Humans are, in fact, interacting and influencing one another on an unprecedented scale and intensity, regardless of the distances.


Taking Robertson’s definition a


step further, it seems inevitable that the universe too, shrinks and compresses as we explore and measure it, and as we infer profound implications from our discoveries. Cosmozation, or empyre- alization, is then the process by which man’s awareness and influence expand beyond our planet: We grow cognizant that we exists on intimate levels with the rest of the universe, that we are interacting with it, and, increasingly, having an effect upon it.


While thinkers and writers still


haven’t come to terms with the full impact of the forces of globalization, another age is already upon us - one in which man’s awareness expands beyond the globe as his relationship with the cosmos intensifies.


Volume 7 Number 1 There’s a radical shift taking place


in regards to our relationship with the universe. Not so long ago, until Copernicus came along, we assumed our world was the universe’s center -- and, for that matter, flat -- and that the sun orbited Earth. Most of last century we held on to the notion that our solar system was unique. And scientists just a generation ago assumed, too, that conditions on Earth -- a protective atmosphere, ample water and volcanic activity -- made it the only planet that could possibly support life.


Now we know that the conditions


on our home planet may be unique, but solar systems are not at all anomalies. In fact, we are in the process of accepting that we are very much part of the larger universe. Furthermore, by sending space probes to the edge of the solar system, by collecting moon rocks and comet dust, by landing probes on Mars to dig for soils and search for signs of life, we are in constant exchange with the universe.


As astonishing discoveries are


being made, that sense of self-impor- tance has eroded, giving way to a more humble assessment of our place in the cosmos.


Consider some of these recent


discoveries. Using the Hubble telescopes


and the Kepler observatory, which orbit Earth, and the Hale Telescope in California, astronomers have discovered


Our Faith


By Rev. Dr. Gregory Headen Life’s Storms


In 1969, I sat


in my high school graduation class at Chatham Central High, Bear Creek, N. C. I remember the commence ad- dress by a preach- er. His topic was “Storms are Part of the Natural Climate


of Life.” At age 18, I listened to him in- tently, and his words found a resting-place in my spirit. Life gets stormy sometimes. Consider with me storms at three levels. First, there are storms in our lives


that are the result of our own doing. We create them through our own disobedience and self-centered living. A good example of this is excessive indebtedness as we continue to acquire things that we could do without. Think of all the unnecessary stress and pain this creates. Second, there are those storms


that come up without warning over which we have no control. It may be the sudden accident that changes one’s life forever.


Perhaps it is the disease that takes its toll on one’s body that has done nothing to bring it on. It may be some feat of hered- ity that one does not have the privilege of choosing.


Lastly, there are storms that we


encounter on the way to fulfilling God’s purpose for us. Jesus told his disciples one day to get on a boat and go over to the other side of the lake. On the way, they found themselves in the midst of a life-threatening storm. The storm did not erase the fact that they were on their way to the other side. There is something to be learned from the storm. It was not meant to take them under, but to challenge and deepen their faith. Are you in a storm? Is it your own


doing? Is it just one of those experiences so common to life’s natural climate? Or could it be that God is taking you some- where, and the storm you are in is part of God’s purpose for you? He is with you in the storm, whether it is an external storm or an internal storm. Keep faith. You are not to die in the storm. You are headed to the other side.


hundreds of other solar systems, and nearly 800 exoplanets--planets that are outside our solar systems. One planet in particular, 150 million light years away, is believed to have an atmosphere.


We know that Earth is constantly


bombarded by meteors when we look up into the night sky and spot shooting stars. But more astounding is astronomer Lou Frank’s recent discovery. Using the Hubble Telescope to study Earth’s atmosphere, Frank proved that Earth is constantly being hit by snowballs from space. The implications are enormous: If ice from outer space hits Earth regularly, it could be “raining” onto other planets too, providing much-needed water to support life. The universe is suddenly very wet.


A few years ago a meteorite from


Mars found on Earth, known as the Allan Hills meteorite (or ALH 84001 to scientists), astonished everyone when some scientists claimed they found tantalizing traces of fossilized life within it. Their findings have been contested, but the discovery fired up the imagination.


Moreover, the Galileo space probe


that orbited Jupiter showed us that on Europa, one on Jupiter’s many moons, huge oceans lie beneath an icy surface. Scientists found active volcanoes as well - that is to say, ingredients that could spark and possibly support life.


More tantalizing still is the organic


materials found in comet dust collected from the comet Wild 2. Here’s NASA’s press release on the comet dust brought back to Earth by the space probe Stardust: “These chunks of ice and dust wandering our solar system appear to be filled with organic molecules that are the building blocks of life.”


The finding surprised scientists


because many predicted that the space probe would find mostly ice. Instead, the finding could lend support to the belief that comets could have “seeded” life on our planet as well as others.


Then, of course, there’s the discovery of water on the moon.


Conference FROM PAGE 1


current business climate in Virginia. Small businesses are the backbone of the American economy, accounting for 60-80% of all U.S. jobs, according to Entrepreneur Magazine. And, small businesses produce 13 times more patents than larger firms, according to a study by Paychex.


In Virginia, small businesses play a


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vital role in the overall economic health of the state. This focus for the forum is intended to bring awareness to, not only small business owners and operators, but to supporting organizations as well as the public, about the issues facing the small business world today. Politicians and community leaders from across Hampton Roads and Virginia have been invited to participate in this forum with the objective to engage everyone on the same page--policy makers, business owners and consumers. Economic Development Departments, the Virginia Department of Business Assistance and other state and local agencies have also been invited to participate in this year’s event.


Admission to the conference


includes a ticket to the 2012 Awards Luncheon, which will begin at 12:00 p.m. Small businesses will receive Community Development Awards for their support of the Hampton Roads region and its economy. Throughout the event, there will be a Career and


September 2012


Scientists found this by deliberately crashing a rocket stage into the moon in 2009, and, in the floor of a perma- nently-shadowed crater, found up to a billion gallons of water and ice near the moon’s south pole.


And if there’s water aplenty in


the universe, then why not DNA? “Panspermia” (originating from the Greek word for “all-seeding”), the hypothesis that seeds of life could have been delivered to Earth - and possibly other planets--is now revised; this theory of an interstellar exchange of DNA was championed by Francis Crick, who discovered the DNA molecule with two other scientists more than half a century ago, was ridiculed last century. But if scientists laughed behind the Nobel laureate’s back when he first suggested it, no one is laughing now.


Besides, there is such a thing as


self fulfilling prophecy: If Earth didn’t receive DNA for a primordial start- up way back when, we are now actively sending out our earthly DNA to space via the forms of various microbes that are riding along with our space crafts and satellites and shuttles that are scattered out into the universe.


As a result, ours is no longer just a


lonely blue planet amidst the heavens. As we send probes and manned missions to the comos and map the universe, as we enthusiastically search for signs of life elsewhere and collect comet dust - earth seems to exist increasingly as part of an open and intricately complex system.


War and strife and revolutions


and bloodshed seem endless on our home world, but when man gazes up at the night sky, it remains alluring and sublime. To paraphrase the great mythologist, Joseph Campbell, that sea on which humanity now sails is infinitely more vast than that imagined by Columbus. And with a rover named Curiosity actively searching for signs of past life on Mars, there’s no doubt that our place is in space, and the cosmic age has indeed arrived.


Business Opportunity Fair, in which companies, large and small, can set up information and vending booths. The Fair will offer an excellent opportunity for veterans and retiring military to find career or business prospects.


There is much excitement


surrounding the “Win $500 in 5 minutes or less” elevator style pitch contest where anyone can pitch up to a 5-minute internet/software business idea, along with a written business plan. The winner will receive a $500 cash prize, and be given the opportunity to pitch their idea at a later date for a chance to receive more funding to bring their idea to market.


The FDIC will facilitate train-


the-trainer workshop for institutions that support small businesses such as lenders, non-profits and development organizations. This workshop, Money Smart for Small Business, is for a new instructor-led training curriculum developed jointly by the FDIC and SBA. The 10 modules in this curriculum provide introductory training for new and aspiring entrepreneurs on the basics of organizing and managing a business. In addition to grounding participants in the basics, the curriculum serves as a foundation for more advanced training and technical assistance.


To find out more about this


event, or to purchase tickets, visit ThinkBigHR.eventbrite.com. For more information on how to participate as a vendor or sponsor, email organizers at thinkbighamptonroads@gmail.com.


Local bankers, working with local


members, lending to local businesses.


That’s the hometown way.


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