‘Public Policy’ Archives
The Gulf Spill And Oil Eating Microbes
A BAD THING If you're just getting over a coma, first of all, welcome back. You will be the last to hear this but, last month, a large oil drilling platform, leased to British Petroleum, exploded and sank, releasing hundreds of thousands of gallons of crude oil into the Gulf Of Mexico. As of now, the oil's still flowing. You're right. [...]
Politics: SO Rigorous. SO Logical.
Test: How is political debate different from science? I will pick up your papers at the end of the class. I don't want you looking at anyone else's answers.
Smoking: Now The Tough Cases
SMOKING'S BAD But you already KNEW that, didn't you. Of course you did. Who, other than teenagers, is unaware that smoking ruins your heart, destroys your lungs, wrinkles your skin, and makes you look sophisticated. Did I say that? Anyway,you know it's really, really bad for you and if you could quit, you already did. Some people [...]
Freeze Yer Snakes
Nutrition: Reptile Menus SOME of you are not regular snake eaters. For the rest of you, a study in The International Journal of Food Microbiology says that you only risk trichinosis, pentastomiasis, gnathostomiasis or sparganosis by eating crocodiles, turtles, lizards or snakes. Well. Did I mention there's [...]
Disgruntled Burglars Quitting The Trade. Can’t Compete.
Criminology: Economics Of Burglary. According to James Treadwell's research (University of Leicester), global price pressures - particularly "cheap labor in China" - are RUINING it for decent burglars in the UK. Commodity pricing in consumer goods such as DVD players has gotten so crappy that you can't even fence a good home [...]
Putting Algae In The Tank
Energy: Riding The Algal Wave. Jet engines decorate our skies with their sunlight sparkled contrails. While sharing, generously, their carbon dioxide with our oh so delicate atmosphere. Airplanes, alone, contribute 2 to 3 percent of all of the CO2 emissions - a lot for just one single human activity. When you think of [...]
Bin Laden. Let’s Google Him
GoogleStuff: Anti-terrorism For Dummies. MISTER ScienceAintSoBad was watching the President of the United States announce his new Afghanistan policy - the one where he decided not to lose right away. And I thought to myself, "Why not help? Those young cadets are going to fight the Taliban and what am I doing about the [...]
Qian Xuesen – A Genius. An Engima
Image by Gang Lee AeronauticalEngineering: OK foot. Hold still or I'll SHOOT! Quian Xuesen died. Don't feel bad. I didn’t know the name either. He was born in 1911 in Hankzhou and – long story – managed to come to the US. He got a Masters Degree in Mechanical Engineering at MIT and then received his Phd at [...]
Science And The Stimulus Bill
The Senate bill had slightly less than 18 billion dollar for R&D and the House bill had a little over 13 billion (less for NIH but more for other stuff). I haven't seen what's in the compromise yet. I'm sure some will be disappointed, but this sounds like it'll do what it's supposed to do - get the ball rolling.
