Politics
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Green Oxford turning sludgy grey?
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According to the BBC, Oxford University (where I’ve heretofore been proud to be a long-term part-time visitor in Astrophysics), presently the fourth largest consumer of green electricity in the UK is considering moving back to fossil fuels. More specifically, it’s hired `”energy-purchasing consultants” Epal’ (whom I can’t find anywhere on the web, strangely) to investigate…
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Evolution: still fact
Creationist Textbook Stickers Declared Unconstitutional: “An anonymous reader writes ‘MSNBC reports that a judge in Atlanta, GA has ruled that a sticker placed on all textbooks in Cobb County stating that ‘Evolution is a theory, not a fact,’ is unconstitutional, and ordered that all stickers be removed.’” (Via Slashdot.) Meanwhile, here in the UK, not…
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Ennui in the UK
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There’s a lot to criticize about the US campaign system, and the politics that it supports, but there’s no denying that both Democrats and Republicans knew that something big was at stake in the 2004 elections. Here in the UK, the Tories — thankfully no longer the “natural party of government” — are showing what…
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Viva Hubble?
According to National Public Radio: Report Discourages NASA Plan to Save Hubble A confidential report commissioned by NASA has concluded that the space agency’s plan to use a robot to save the Hubble telescope is highly risky. The robot would install two new instruments and replace batteries and gyroscopes. But the report suggests NASA should…
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Science, Money and Teaching in Britain
With the closure of University departments throughout England (Chemistry at Exeter and Architecture at Cambridge just announced this week), and the Science Minister called to the Parliamentary Science and Technology Committee today, UK science funding has been making headlines (or at least showing up on media radar) over the last couple of days. Currently, departmental…
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NASA’s Future: man or machine?
New York Times Editorial: NASA’s Budgetary Gift Horse: With its hands free to redistribute a hefty 2005 budget, the space agency should funnel more resources into its unmanned programs. Congress … granted NASA unprecedented authority to move funds about … to stitch together a viable program within the available resources. That puts a special burden…
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Science in Bush’s America
Wired News: Science Braces for Second Term Climate change. The teaching of Darwinian evolution. Stem Cell research and reproductive rights. Industrial waste. Exploring Mars. Many or most of us scientists disagree with the Bush Administration’s policies on many of these and other issues. That becomes a real problem when they start interfering with the flow…
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Powell in 2008?
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US Secretary of State Colin Powell resigns: he’s a pro-affirmative action military moderate… So: for the Democrats?
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Theory?
Evolution textbooks row goes to court: “United States: School board in court after it tried to placate Christian fundamentalist parents by placing a sticker on science textbooks saying evolution was ‘theory, not fact’.” (Via Guardian Unlimited.) With their usual linguistic slight of hand, the fanatics formerly known as the Christian Right have managed to conflate…
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A divider, not a uniter
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The pundits have been falling over themselves to find “the” explanation for the Democrats’ loss this week. Was it values — “gays, guns, and god”? Was it better organization headed by Karl Rove? Was it not wanting to ditch a wartime [sic] leader? As usual, all of these things are true — no single explanation…