What's New Friday Sep 19, 2008

WHAT’S NEW   Robert L. Park   Friday, 19 Sep 08   Washington, DC

1.  SCILENCE: THE "GATHERING STORM" IS NOW RAGING.
Norm Augustine wrote a powerful editorial in yesterday’s issue of 
Science.  Retired as CEO of Lockheed, Augustine chaired the NAS committee 
that 3 years ago issued the Gathering Storm, a report that called for 
doubling the investment in math, physical sciences and engineering.   
However, funds to implement the Gathering Storm recommendations were lost 
in an orgy of congressional earmarking of projects for local districts.  
Where, Augustine asks, were the voices of those who understood the 
consequences?  More than half the increase in the U.S. gross domestic 
product is attributable to advances in science and technology.  It is 
ironic that his editorial appeared even as the U.S. economy is teetering 
on the edge of total collapse.

2.  PANIC: "ALL WE HAVE TO FEAR" IS FOUR MORE MONTHS.
As we prepare to spend a trillion dollars we don’t have to bail out his 
administration, George W. Bush emerged from isolation yesterday to offer 
his version of Franklin Roosevelt’s famous 1933 speech to the nation in 
the depths of the great depression: "The American people are concerned 
about the situation in our financial markets and our economy," Bush 
lamented.  "And I share their concerns."  Feel better now?  

3.  DEBATE:  WOULD YOU SETTLE FOR A POP QUIZ?
Unable to arrange a face-to-face debate between Obama and McCain on 
science issues, the dedicated team at Science Debate 2008 asked for 
written responses to 14 questions.  The 35 pages of staff-written 
responses they got back served only to make it clear why a face-to-face 
debate was needed – it would have had a time limit.  I would wager the 
candidates didn’t even have time to read their responses.  Maybe it should 
have been multiple-choice questions, or even true-false.   We thank the 
organizers for seeing it through, but the answers didn’t "restore science 
and innovation to America’s political dialogue" as we all had hoped.

4.  LARGE HADRON COLLIDER: IS IT TIME FOR AN UPGRADE? 
The LHC was shut down briefly this week by an electrical problem in a 
cooling system.  It should be back up today.  The minor problem in this 
enormously complex system only served to emphasize how smoothly the turn-
on has gone.  Meanwhile, planning for the International Linear Collider, 
consisting of two 30 kilometer linear colliders facing each other, has 
been put on hold.  The decision to build the ILC will depend on what is 
learned by the LHC.  However, that hasn’t stopped planning for the Super 
LHC, an upgrade to increase not the energy but the luminosity. 

5. EMF:  ARE POWER LINES CAUSING CANCER AGAIN? 
It began in 1989 with scare stories in the New Yorker attributing 
childhood cancers to power-line fields.  With a change in acronym from EMF 
to NIR (Non-Ionizing Radiation) power-line fear  has returned to close 
kindergartens in Petah Tivia, Israel, and bury power lines in New South 
Wales, but as before it is a mistake.  All known cancer agents break 
chemical bonds, which non-ionizing radiation cannot, thus creating mutant 
strands of DNA.

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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