What's New Friday July 4, 2008

WHAT’S NEW   Robert L. Park   Friday, 4 July 08   Washington, DC

1.  SCIENCE BUDGET:  ROUND-OFF MONEY AVERTS LAYOFF.
As WN pointed out last week, $400 million in the $186 billion supplemental 
war spending bill, or about 0.2 percent, is for science.  It’s divided 
among four agencies.  Still, it allowed Fermilab, the nation’s top 
accelerator laboratory, to resume its research program and avoid the lay 
off of 80 employees.  Fermilab has been paying employees from an anonymous 
$5 million gift since May.   For the top high-energy physics research 
facility in the world’s most powerful nation to be reduced to operating on 
private charity is a national embarrassment.  We desperately need change 
in our science policy.  Somebody’s campaign slogan is "change," but 
neither candidate ever mentions science.

2.  CHANGE:  IT SOUNDS GOOD, BUT WHICH WAY IS IT GOING?
It is standard political lore that anyone seeking nomination must fish in 
friendly water.  Once nominated, they should begin casting their lines in 
the direction of their opponent.  So it is that having secured the 
nomination Obama is now trying to hook a few evangelicals, even calling 
for expansion of Bush’s controversial faith-based initiative.  His fund 
raising now targets the big fish rather than the ten-dollar mom-and-pop 
donations he boasted of during the nomination.  Yesterday, according to 
the NY Times, Obama gave a talk in Fargo, ND in which he made his usual 
point that the United States cannot sustain a long-term military presence 
in Iraq, but then added that he might "refine" his policies on Iraq after 
he meets with American commanders in Iraq next month.  This, I’m assured, 
is smart politics, but I liked him better when he wasn’t that smart.

3.  ENERGY:  HIGH FUEL PRICES BRING OUT THE VOODOO SCIENCE.
The latest is something called the Hydro Assist Fuel Cell.  It’s not a 
fuel cell as the rest of world uses the term; it’s a kit to modify your 
existing car.  It extracts a hydrogen-oxygen mixture from water and adds 
it to your fuel, doubling your mpg.  The same people are now offering the 
Pre-Ignition Catalytic Converter, PICC, to upgrade performance of the 
HAFC.  Never mind the laws of thermodynamics, it’s "based on scientific 
observation."  But this is another mom and pop operation; the big fish are 
still biting on BlackLight Power.  Let’s take a look.

4.  HYDRINO SCAM:  IT COULD HAVE BEEN A LOT BIGGER.
According to an article in Wednesday’s CNN Money.com, BlackLight Power has 
raised $60 million from investors "in its 19-year history."  Nineteen 
years would take it back to its cold fusion roots.  WN has followed Randy 
Mills since 1991 http://bobpark.physics.umd.edu/WN91/wn042691.html when he 
held a press conference in Lancaster, PA.  The full history can be found 
in the What’s New archives, http://www.bobpark.org , click on Search and 
type in “hydrino.”  Some estimates were that Mills could raise $1 billion 
with an IPO, but he was unable to protect his intellectual property, if 
any, with a US patent http://bobpark.physics.umd.edu/WN02/wn090602.html .  
He then sought to patent the process abroad.  In April 2008 he was denied 
4 patents in the UK. 

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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