What's New Robert L. Park 10 Sep 2010

WHAT=92S NEW   Robert L Park   Friday, 10 Sep 2010   Washington, DC

1. EMBRIONIC STEM CELLS:  APPEALS COURT STAYS BAN ON RESEARCH.
A three-judge appeals panel lifted an August 23 injunction banning the us=
e=20
of federal funds for research involving embryonic stem cells.  The stay=20
could be short-lived; opponents of the use of embryonic stem cells have=20
only until September 14 to file a response and the government must submit=
=20
its response by September 20. The Alliance Defense Fund, which filed the=20
original lawsuit, is a conservative Christian organization launched in 19=
94=20
by Bill Bright, founder of Campus Crusade for Christ, and James Dobson,=20
founder of Focus on the Family. The problem, however, was the United Stat=
es=20
Congress which passed the Dickey-Wicker Amendment prohibiting the use of=20
federal tax money for research involving the destruction of human embryos=
. =20
The pressure should be on Congress to amend the law.

2. FREE SPEECH: TESTING OUR COMMITMENT TO THE FIRST AMENDMENT.
Saturday was supposed to be International Burn a Koran Day, decreed by=20
Baptist minister Terry Jones in Gainesville, Florida, the instigator of=20
this thing, whatever it is. The last thing I saw on the news this morning=
=20
was protestors in Jalalabad, or someplace, pushing signs printed in Engli=
sh=20
in front of the cameras. The signs vowed revenge, but it wasn't a threat =
to=20
burn Bibles in revenge, which would be harmless, but to kill Americans an=
d=20
Jews.  Back in the US, the befuddled pastor seemed to be speaking in=20
tongues.  I don't think he will light the match, but why shouldn't he as=20
long as he pays for the books and doesn't violate any municipal burning=20
ordinance? The First Amendment is on his side, but nothing will ever get=20
resolved because neither side has any evidence.  Science works, because w=
e=20
have evidence to argue about.  =20

3. L=92AVION RENEFLEUR: SCANNING FOR OILFIELDS FROM THE AIR.
The Engineer, www.theengineeer.co.uk , had a story in the 20 August 2010=20
issue about a technology to scan for oil from the air. Using a technique=20
called atomic dielectric resonance (ADR) Scotish scientists will detect a=
nd=20
measure offshore oilfields using radio and microwaves. They have proven t=
he=20
technology works at depths of up to 4 kilometers and now hope to adapt it=
=20
to search for offshore deposits, a remarkable development. It might be=20
noted, however, that in 1976 the government of France conducted trials of=
 a=20
secret device that purportedly used the echo from a newly discovered=20
particle to map mineral deposits from the air. Over the next three years=20
France invested some $200 million in the idea, a lot of money at the time=
,=20
but no government official had yet had a look at the device. A prominent=20
nuclear physicist, Jules Horowitz was appointed to investigate, and devis=
ed=20
a simple test that revealed it to be a fraud. Government secrecy had=20
permitted the deception to go unchallenged for three years. Now that it w=
as=20
exposed as a fraud, the French government made the appropriate change =96=
=20
secrecy was tightened still further to avoid embarrassment.

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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