What's New Friday May 23, 2008

WHAT’S NEW   Robert L. Park   Friday   23 May 08   Washington, DC

1.  ACUPUNCTURE:  THE NEXT BIG THING WILL BE ASTROLOGY. 
Last month, after learning that the University of Maryland Health Center 
offers acupuncture http://bobpark.physics.umd.edu/WN08/wn040408.html , I 
wrote to object to this promotion of superstitious medicine by a research 
University.   The university administration responded that this "immensely 
popular" service has been offered for eleven years.  Where have I been?  
Health centers offer acupuncture at many top universities, including UC 
Berkeley and Harvard.  So what does acupuncture treat?  Acupuncture it 
seems can handle anything.  After all, the "meridians" run the full length 
of the body.  What! They didn’t teach you about meridians in Physiology 
101?  Meridians connect the acupuncture points - the places they stick the 
needles to get the chi flowing.  You didn’t learn about chi either?  It’s 
like vital-life stuff, but nobody’s ever seen it.  Are there other ancient 
beliefs that universities should make available to our students?  How 
about astrology?  It’s even older than acupuncture, and like acupuncture 
it only works for true believers.  Also like acupuncture, astrology has no 
rational explanation.  Moreover, few students can construct their 
horoscope without expert assistance.  I recommended that Maryland create a 
Horoscope Center staffed by licensed astrologers.   

2. PREACHERS: PULPET PRONOUNCEMENTS PLAGUE PRIMARIES. 
Barrack Obama’s problems with the incendiary Rev. Jeremiah Wright were 
cancelled out this week when megachurch pastor John Hagee, whose support 
McCain had earlier welcomed, declared that God allowed the rise of Hitler 
because in the end it returned Israel to the Jewish people.  To McCain’s 
credit he recognized at once that Hagee is rowing with one oar and 
renounced his endorsement.   Back in February Hagee implied that Hurricane 
Katrina was divine retribution for a planned Gay Pride parade in New 
Orleans.  At that time McCain repudiated Hagee's remarks but held on to 
the endorsement. 

3.  HUBBLE: FINAL SPACE TELESCOPE REPAIR DELAYED.
The 18-year old telescope was to have been repaired and upgraded at the 
end of August, but NASA has set Oct. 8 as the new date for the final 
repair and upgrade.  The telescope is badly in need of replacement 
batteries, guidance sensors and gyroscopes to keep it operating until 2013 
when its replacement, the James Webb telescope is supposed to be 
launched.  The main instrument, the Advanced survey Camera, must also be 
repaired.  The repair mission is supposed to take five consecutive days of 
spacewalks using a crew of seven.  

4.   THE OCEANS:  THE END OF MARINE FISHERIES BY 2050.
The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) is a major United Nations 
meeting on conservation in Bonn.   Governments are being urged to agree 
adopt measures for protecting open ocean and sea floor habitats.  Among 
the evidence considered is a major recent study concluding that, if 
current trends continue, 2050 could mark the end of commercially viable 
marine fisheries. Food is up, fuel is up, the population bomb has gone off.

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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