Thursday, June 7, 2007
dominated by stories about non-solutions to non-existent problems. At his
confirmation hearing yesterday, General Lute the new war czar, told the Senate
that unless there is political reform, violence will rage for another year
regardless of a troop build up.
Iran is pushing forward with enriching uranium. What will we do about it?
Install antimissile sites in Poland and radars in the Czech Republic. Putin is
offering the giant radar in Azerbaijan, but he notes that Iran doesn't have a
missile. No matter, we don't have a defense.
The bipartisan immigration reform bill failed in the Senate in the early
morning hours today. Other "Great" walls have not worked well. "Before I
built a wall," Frost wrote, "I'd ask what I was walling in or walling out."
With an astronaut love triangle and shuttle problems, it hasn't been a great
year for the ISS, but then, there has never been a great year for the orbiting
boondoggle. Atlantis is again set for launch at 7:38 pm ET today. NASA must
complete the ISS so it can be dropped into the ocean on schedule in finished
form.
Nature yesterday described a brilliant gene transfer method of reprogramming
fetal mouse cells to be indistinguishable from embryonic stem cells. Many
mouse cures haven't carried over to humans. What is sad is that it should be
necessary to take this route. A vast trove of embryonic stem cells in fertility
clinics will be autoclaved to satisfy superstitious beliefs.
the National Center of Complementary and Alternative Medicine at NIH, his task
was to turn the quack-dominated Office of Alternative Medicine, created by
Congress, into a scientific center. He did it with grace, the only way
possible, subjecting one quack cure after another to randomized double-blind
tests, while enduring attacks from scientists who thought he moved too slowly.
One after another all failed. Anything else would have invited interference
from Congress. I was fortunate to serve on his Steering Committee.
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