What's New Robert L. Park 16 Sep 2011

WHAT'S NEW   Robert L Park   Friday, 16 Sep 11   Washington, DC

1. WI-FI REFUGE:  UNITED STATES NATIONAL RADIO QUIET ZONE.
A 34,000 km2 rectangle of land straddling the border of Virginia and West 
Virginia surrounds The Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope, the world's 
largest fully steerable radio telescope.  The site was chosen partly 
because the Allegheny Mountains block the horizontal propagation of radio 
signals, but mostly because Robert C Byrd (D-WV) was one powerful US 
Senator.  Radio transmission in the zone is either limited or banned 
outright.  In addition to radio astronomers, the quiet zone has also 
attracted a colony of people who say they suffer from Electromagnetic 
Hypersensitivity (EHS).  They certainly suffer from something, but EHS is 
not medically recognized in the US.  In a BBC News interview last week I 
suggested that the appropriate treatment for a non-ailment such as EHS 
would be homeopathic medicine.  

2. DEEP SPACE:  ENERGY BILL LEAVES OUT PLUTONIUM-238.
In a move that could end deep space exploration, congressional budget 
cutters left off the $15 million needed to restart the production of Pu-
238.  Pu-238 is not bomb stuff; it's a non-fissile isotope used to supply 
heat for thermoelectric generators (RTGs).  With no moving parts, RTGs are 
one of the simplest and most reliable technologies ever devised.  They 
generate electrical power to operate long-duration space missions too 
distant from the Sun for solar panels. Let's see, that will cut a $300 
billion budget by 0.0005%. Well, it's a start. 

NOTICE: I HELD THIS ISSUE UNTIL 9/18/2011 SO I COULD INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING.

3. TAX WAR: OBAMA IS EXPECTED TO CALL FOR "THE BUFFET RULE."
The New York Times says that on Monday President Obama will call for a new 
tax rate for individuals making more than $1 million a year.  It would 
require them to pay at least the same percentage of their earnings as 
middle-income taxpayers.  Republican politicians lost no time in declaring 
this to be the opening shot in a class war.  It's been a class war all 
along.  All that's changed is that the war is no longer undeclared.   
Obama's proposal comes a month after Warren Buffett wrote in the New York 
Times that: "My friends and I have been coddled long enough by a 
billionaire-friendly Congress.  It's time for our government to get serious 
about shared sacrifice."  Why shouldn't those who benefited most from our 
system be willing to return more.

4. CLASS WAR: NOTHING IS CERTAIN BUT DEATH AND TEXAS.
The audience at a recent GOP presidential debate applauded the observation 
that Texas Governor Rick Perry, an Evangelical Christian, has presided over 
a record 234 executions, more than any other governor in US history, with 
another one scheduled for Thursday.  

THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND.
Opinions are the author's and not necessarily shared by the
University of Maryland, but they should be.
---
Archives of What's New can be found at http://www.bobpark.org
What's New is moving to a different listserver and our
subscription process has changed. To change your subscription
status please visit this link:
http://listserv.umd.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=bobparks-whatsnew&A=1