What's New Robert L. Park 30 May 2012

WHAT=92S NEW   Robert L. Park   Friday, 30 May 2012    Washington, DC=20

1. NATURAL LAW: CATHOLIC INSTITUTIONS SUE THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION.
The lawsuit argues that the Obama healthcare plan violates the religious=20=

freedom of Catholic institutions by requiring them to cover the=20
contraception costs of employees.  In the eyes of the Church, artificial=20=

contraception violates the doctrine of Natural Law.  If sexual intercours=
e=20
cannot lead to procreation it removes the sovereignty of God over Creatio=
n.=20
Try thinking that through while having sex. What are the odds of the Chur=
ch=20
winning its suit?  The Church hasn't won a case based on Natural Law sinc=
e=20
615 when the Inquisition forced Galileo to recant his belief in a=20
heliocentric universe.

2. SPACE X: SPACE TRANSPORT COMPANY DELIVERED NO ONE TO THE ISS.=20
Founded in 2002 by PayPal entrepreneur Elon Musk, Space X last Friday=20
became the first private company to dock on the International Space=20
Station.  Presidential science adviser John Holdren called it, "an=20
achievement of historic scientific and technological significance" and "a=
=20
key milepost in President Obama=92s vision for America=92s continued lead=
ership=20
in space." The cargo capsule, Dragon, delivered groceries and collected t=
he=20
ISS garbage, but carried no people. That is indeed a big improvment over=20=

the Shuttle.=20

3. EXTREMES: "TO THE LAST BREATH" BY FRANCIS SLAKEY.
Everest is closed.  The climbing season normally runs from late March to=20=

the first week in June, but 2012 was a deadly year on the mountain, with=20=

several deaths and "traffic jams" due to the large number of climbers. Wh=
y?=20
People are driven to test themselves. But having reached the summit of th=
e=20
tallest mountain, what do you do next?   If you're Francis Slakey, PhD,=20=

associate director of the Washington Office of Public Affairs of the=20
American Physical Society, who reached the Everest summit on 24 May 2000 =
at=20
10:51 AM, you make a To-Do-List: The tallest peak on each of the seven=20=

continents. The final climb took place in September of 2002 on the highes=
t=20
mountain in Indonesia, where an unrelated power struggle took the life of=
=20
an innocent climber in front of him. Nature is not cruel, only indifferen=
t.=20
Cruelty comes from the struggle for power.  Years earlier Slake had=20
requested a leave of absence to go climbing, "Sure,=94 I said, =93do it n=
ow.=20
Once you have a family it will no longer be possible."  "That's not the=20=

path I'm on he replied."  I left the APS office several years ago to retu=
rn=20
to my full-time position as professor of physics at the University of=20
Maryland. Francis Slakey was changing, but he's was still not ready to gi=
ve=20
up the To-Do-List; after all, 69 other climbers have done the seven=20
continent tour.  Why not add a third category: "surf in every ocean?"  Th=
e=20
To-Do-List began to look a little silly. No matter, the real story is tha=
t=20
Francis Slakey discovered himself.   He married Gina, an Italian girl he=20=

met climbing. They bought a house in Washington, where they are raising=20=

twin daughters. He still works for the American Physical Society and=20
teaches at Georgetown University.

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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