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| Science Forum Index » Physics Forum » WHAT'S NEW Robert L. Park Friday, 11 Feb 05 Washington |
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| Sam Wormley |
 Posted: Fri Feb 11, 2005 3:27 pm |
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WHAT'S NEW Robert L. Park Friday, 11 Feb 05 Washington, DC
1. D. ALLAN BROMLEY: FORMER APS PRESIDENT DIED YESTERDAY AT 78.
Moshe Gai informs us that Allan was stricken yesterday at lunch.
He died on the way to the hospital. One of the world's leading
nuclear physicists, he was also an outspoken proponent of science
and was awarded the National Medal of Science in 1988. In a 1989
meeting with George H.W. Bush to discuss the position of Science
Advisor, the President's first question was about cold fusion.
Bromley had just learned the results from a collaboration he had
arranged to test the claim. There were no neutrons. Confidently
he told the President that the reports out of Utah were in error.
2. PROLIFERATION: TAUNTING IS ONLY AGAINST THE RULES IN THE NFL.
Let's see if we've got this right: based on unfounded rumors of
nuclear weapons in Iraq, the U.S. committed itself to a war that
has so far cost the lives of more than 2,000 American troops and
another 10,000 wounded. Perhaps 18,000 Iraqi civilians have been
killed, and more than 6,000 military. This carnage has cost us
$153 billion, and there's no end in sight. Although he had no
weapons of mass destruction, we're told the Iraq war is justified
because Sadam is a really bad guy. Kim Jong Il is no sweetheart
either, and N. Korea is dancing in the end zone with its nukes.
3. PUBLIC ACCESS: APS POLICY INCORRECTLY STATED BY WHAT'S NEW.
Last week, WN misstated the position of Editor in Chief Marty
Blume on public access, for which I profoundly apologize. In
Marty Blume's words, "We already allow authors to post the final
versions of their papers on eprint archives anywhere (which would
include the NIH's pub med central) and to make them available
immediately. This is already done with many articles posted on
the Cornell arXiv, and we have seen no effect on subscriptions."
The new NIH policy announced last week by Elias Zerhouni goes a
step further: authors are "asked" to post on public Web sites.
4. IS "JOHN OF GOD" A HEALER OR A CHARLATAN? IS ABC NEWS NUTS?
In an hour long report last night, Primetime Live co-anchor John
Quinones traveled to a remote area of Brazil to find out if "John
of God" is really a miracle healer as his followers claim. Wake
up ABC! It's the 21st Century. In a position to help millions
of viewers understand that they live in a rational universe, ABC
has chosen instead to tell them that their sad superstitions are
open scientific questions. To give the program credibility they
turned to "one of the world's most respected surgeons, Dr. Mehmet
Oz." Oz is no doubt a fine surgeon, but he has touch therapists
in his operating room helping patients "connect to the healing
energy everywhere." When ABC dumped Michael Guillen as science
editor, http://www.aps.org/WN/WN02/wn122702.cfm it seemed like a
good sign. But it looks like they still don't get it.
THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND.
Opinions are the author's and not necessarily shared by the
University of Maryland, but they should be.
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