What's New for Oct 18, 2002

WHAT'S NEW   Robert L. Park   Friday, 18 Oct 02    Washington, DC

1. THE KIM IL JUNG BOMB: NORTH KOREA FLAUNTS ITS CAPABILITY.  The
U.S. is prepared to go to war with the Iraqis because they have
an unstable leader, and may have weapons of mass destruction.  Is
there another country that fits that description?  Yes, but it
has no oil.  Under a 1994 agreement, North Korea agreed to halt
its nuclear weapons development in exchange for proliferation-
resistant nuclear power plants.  Now, confronted with new U.S.
intelligence, North Korea responds with a sort of in-your-face
admission that not only has its program been going on in secret,
they have enough stuff to make nuclear weapons.  And, like Iraq,
it seems they've been focusing on highly enriched uranium.  On
the other hand Kim Il Jung never tried to kill Bush's dad.

2. PATENTLY ABSURD: THERE ARE A LOT OF SCREWY PATENTS OUT THERE.
The standards have been too lax, and the Patent Office knows it. 
Patents are reexamined in extreme cases, such as hydrinos (WN 6
Sep 02) and the motionless electromagnetic generator (WN 23 Aug
02), but it's rare.  However, a provision in the Patent and
Trademark Office Authorization Act making it clear that it's
never too late to reexamine a patent if substantial new questions
of patentability are raised, should help (WN 6 Sep 02).  

3. THEOLOGICAL GYNECOLOGY: PURGING SCIENCE ADVISORY COMMITTEES. 
Every administration seeks to load advisory committees with like-
minded experts, but the practice seems to have reached a new
level.  In a particularly controversial case, W. David Hager, an
obstetrician-gynecologist who strongly opposes abortions, has
been asked to serve on the FDA panel that reviews reproductive
health drugs.  Hager is the author of As Jesus Cared for Women, 
in which he promotes the healing power of faith in Jesus.
 
4. CREATIONISM: OHIO PLAN IS NOT VERY INTELLIGENTLY DESIGNED.   
A committee of the Ohio Board of Education has recommended that
science classes emphasize both evolution and the debate over its
validity.  Individual school districts would decide whether to
include intelligent design in the debate.  The plan would imply
that creationism in whatever guise is a scientific alternative. 

5. THE SNIPER: DO YOU TAKE THE STAIRS INSTEAD OF THE ELEVATOR? 
After all, people get killed when elevators fall.  Oops, people
also get killed tripping on the stairs. Here in Washington, a
local TV station offered advice on how to bob and weave while
filling your gas tank, and some people have been driving miles
out of town to fill up.  Do they have any idea what the fatality
rate is on our roads?  Others just stay home.  Maybe we should
explain to people that you're as unlikely to be the sniper's
target as you are to be struck by a falling tree.  

THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND and THE AMERICAN PHYSICAL SOCIETY
Opinions are the author's and are not necessarily shared by the
University or the American Physical Society, but they should be.