Friday, 30 November 1990 Washington, DC
1. THE CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET PROCESS HAS BECOME EVEN MORE COMPLEX,
thanks to the new five-year budget agreement. Not since the for-
ward pass was added to football in 1907 has the strategy of a
game changed so abruptly. Deficits don't count--the focus is on
capping spending! Under the new rules, domestic programs compete
only against each other in FY 91-93, so that even if there were a
peace dividend, it couldn't be diverted to domestic use. In this
zero-sum game, it is every program for itself, and lobbyists are
taking a crash course in dumping on competing programs. The new
rules shift power to the White House; Congress agreed to let OMB
be the referee and the penalties are more credible. For discre-
tionary programs, limited sequesters can now be imposed several
times a year. Under the old rules, the only penalty was a massive
October sequestration; it was like threatening to use the H-bomb.
2. A NEW APS VICE PRESIDENT MUST BE CHOSEN IN A SPECIAL ELECTION
to replace Ernest Henley, who moved up to President-Elect, fill-
ing the vacancy left by Walter Massey, who resigned to become the
next director of the National Science Foundation
(WN 2 Nov 90).
Donald N. Langenberg, Chancellor of the University of Maryland
system, and Neal F. Lane, Provost of Rice University, have agreed
to be candidates in the special election. Candidate information
will be mailed to APS members in March, with an election ballot.
3. A STUDY OF YOUNG PHYSICS FACULTY EXAMINES RESEARCH SUPPORT
in
1990. Compared to young physics faculty in 1977, young faculty
today consider research support to be grossly inadequate--and
1977 wasn't exactly a golden age. The study was conducted under
the auspices of the APS Physics Planning Committee, by Roman
Czujko of the AIP Education and Employment Statistics Division
and Stuart Rice, University of Chicago, who is a PPC member.
Their report, which will be available soon, should have a major
influence, since it is based on a whole-population study, rather
than a sampling, and got a remarkable 71% response from the 950
young investigators in physics PhD granting departments. Young
investigators who submitted start-up proposals, submitted an
average of four; of these, only 36% were funded. Despite dismal
funding prospects, job satisfaction remains surprisingly high.
4. THE EARTHQUAKE COUNTDOWN ALONG THE NEW MADRID FAULT
proceeds
even as weird scientist Iben Browning begins hedging his claim of
a 3 Dec quake
(WN 28 Sep 90). A woman identifying herself as
Browning's daughter told a San Francisco radio station that the
threat to New Madrid has lessened. Since Browning's prediction
was based on the expected alignment of Sun, Moon and Earth, it's
not clear which one will be out of position. Nevertheless, eager
reporters are converging on New Madrid even as local residents
flee. One reporter told us the greatest danger is being run down
by a TV van. The 1811 New Madrid quake rang church bells here in
Washington; we will let you know next Friday if we hear anything.
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