What's New Robert L. Park 27 September 2012

WHAT'S NEW   Robert L Park   Thursday, 27 Sept 2012   Washington, DC

1. DELAY: WHAT=92S NEW WAS AGAIN DELAYED BY SERVER PROBLEMS.
OT says they=92ve solved it this time. Sure. Here's updates on some probl=
ems=20
that never go away.=20

2. "INNOCENCE OF MUSLIMS": WN DOES NOT RECOMMEND THIS FILM.
To form my own opinion about this unpleasant piece of trash, written and=20=

produced by Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, an Egyptian Copt on parole for frau=
d,=20
I first had to sit through it.  I=92m not a film critic but I don't think=
=20
Nakoula is expecting an Academy Award.  Salman Rushdie, the brilliant=20
author of Satanic Verses, he is not, although there is a fatwa on both of=
=20
them.  To parade their moral outrage, a mob of mindless Muslims murdered=20=

four Americans, including the Ambassador Chris Stevens, who of course had=
=20
nothing to do with the film. So who expects religion to make sense? God=20=

speaks only to prophets. The rest of us are supposed to take their word f=
or=20
it.=20

2. ENCODE: THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF DNA ELEMENTS.
By 2001, sequencing of the human genome found a surprisingly small number=
=20
of genes, but lots of non-coding "junk" DNA. However, the old idea of the=
=20
genome as a string of genes interspersed with unimportant non-coding DNA =
is=20
no longer tenable. The ENCODE consortium revealed this month that much of=
=20
the so-called "junk DNA" is also copied into RNA with additional but stil=
l=20
largely unknown functions. This is a huge change. Genes apparently are no=
t=20
even be the best unit of inheritance.=20

3. NON-LETHAL WEAPONS: HIGH-POWER MICROWAVES MAY HURT.=20
But they don't kill. In last week's Nature, Sharon Weinberger (author of=20=

Imaginary Weapons), wrote that "despite 50 years of research on high-powe=
r=20
microwaves, the military has yet to produce a usable weapon." As WN has=20=

pointed out repeatedly, microwave photons can't create mutant strands of=20=

DNA.=20=20

4. MISSILE DEFENSE: THE PROBLEM IS WORSE IN ELECTION YEARS.
A panel of "experts" convened by the National Research Council two years=20=

ago has concluded that the United States missile-defense strategy is=20
flawed.  Strategy?  Of course it=92s flawed, it's nonexistent. Ballistic=20=

missiles are cold and stupid. They=92re visible only during a too-brief=20=

launch window, and can't be fooled. The only effective strategy would be =
to=20
improve international relations, but that's somebody else's job. Good=20
luck.=20=20

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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