WHAT'S NEW Friday, May 28, 2004

WHAT'S NEW   Robert L. Park   Friday, 28 May 04   Washington, DC

1. ENERGY: GAS PRICES ARE SHOOTING UP, AND THAT'S THE GOOD NEWS!
Just a few years ago, the sound of China was incessant honking as
an occasional car tried to push its way through a sea of bicycles
and pedestrians.  The car won.  Beijing traffic now looks like LA
or DC, adding enormously to world demand for oil, most of which
is beneath countries that don't like us very much.  Bush's short-
term solution is to drill in the arctic wildlife refuge (caribou
don't vote).  Long-term, Bush has the hydrogen-initiative (See
POPA study, http://www.aps.org/public_affairs/index.cfm ), but it
can't be made competitive.  Kerry's short-term solution is to use
the strategic reserve.  Sigh!  WN liked him better when he wanted
a 50 cent tax hike on gasoline.  We need conservation.  High gas
prices are already pushing SUV sales down, but it was OPEC that
pushed the price up.  If we plan to declare war on every country
led by a bad guy, we'll need tax revenue.  We could also think
about making CAFE standards apply to all passenger cars, even if
they're SUVs and weigh as much as cement trucks.  As the price of
gas goes up, the air gets cleaner, people return to the inner
cities, traffic is reduced, less time is wasted commuting.

2. DOMESTIC TRANQUILITY: WHAT HAPPENS AFTER THE ELECTION IS OVER?
The Washington Post yesterday disclosed that a May 19 White House
budget memorandum directs agencies preparing their 2006 budgets
to assume spending levels that are sharply reduced for virtually
every domestic program.  This includes programs of the National
Science Foundation and the Environmental Protection Agency.  

3. PLACEBO EFFECT: USE OF ALTERNATIVE REMEDIES CONTINUES TO GROW. 
A new government survey of adult Americans found that 36 percent
of us use some kind of "complementary or alternative" therapy.
The number jumps to 62 percent when prayer is included.  I find
it surprising that the percentages are not higher; you make the
list if you take vitamins, or meditate, or get a massage, or go
on some fad diet.  Echinacea turns out to be the most popular
herbal supplement, although studies stubbornly refuse to uncover
any benefit.  Wisdom has it that echinacea wards off colds, but
when adults taking echinacea three times a day inhaled a strain
of common cold virus, ninety percent came down with a cold. 

4. HOMEOPATHY: CAN YOU DO PLACEBO-CONTROLLED STUDIES OF PLACEBOS?
Four years ago, a guest on "Superquark," an Italian television
science program, observed that relying on homeopathy could be
dangerous for someone who actually has a serious illness.  The
Italian Association of Medical Homeopathy sued the host of the
program.  But last month, according to Nature, the court in
Catania ruled that the opinions of the guest were "justified" and
"could not be considered offensive or defamatory."


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.aps.org/WN
You are currently subscribed to whatsnew as: [email protected]
To unsubscribe send a blank email to [email protected]
To subscribe, send a blank e-mail to: <[email protected]>