Forward by [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Akira Kawasaki) > [Original Message] From: What's New <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Date: 5/5/2006 1:44:11 PM Subject: [BOBPARKS-WHATSNEW] What's New Friday May 5, 2006
WHAT'S NEW Robert L. Park Friday, 5 May 06 Washington, DC 1. THE DARWIN CODE: WILL THE "INTELLIGENT DESIGNER" BE REVEALED? Our story opens with the grisly defeat of the eight members of the Dover Area School Board who were up for reelection. Behind their demise, we now learn, is a shadowy organization called the Discovery Institute, which is sworn to suppress the secret identity of the "Intelligent Designer." Just "teach the controversy," warns the founder of the Discovery Institute, Bruce Chapman. Otherwise people might think the argument has something to do with religion instead of pure science. He blames the Dover School Board. To convince others not to reveal the identity of the designer, the Discovery Institute has rushed into print with a new book "Traipsing Into Evolution," in which their legal experts analyze the impact of Kitzmiller v. Dover. 2. THE POLYGRAPH: THE ANIMAL THAT TALKS FREQUENTLY TELLS LIES. Unfortunately, so does the polygraph. It's been 18 years since WN wrote that the polygraph "cannot tell a lie from the sex act" http://bobpark.org/WN88/wn030488.html , and Congress barred polygraph use by private employers. Twelve years later the National Academy of Sciences concurred in "The Polygraph and Lie Detection," (NAS Press, 2003). Nevertheless, the Washington Post reported Monday that the CIA, the FBI and other federal agencies are using the polygraph more than ever. It is "a pivotal tool in the CIA's effort to identify leakers after embarrassing disclosures about government anti-terrorism tactics." 3. PUBLIC ACCESS: SENATE BILL WOULD REQUIRE POSTING ON INTERNET. A year ago, a new NIH policy asked researchers on NIH grants to submit their results to a public Web site within one year of publication. A leading advocate of free access, former NIH director Harold Varmus, said he would have preferred "required" rather than "asked." In fact, only 4 percent of grant recipients bothered. But a Senate bill introduced Tuesday would indeed "require" results of federally funded research be posted on the internet http://bobpark.org/WN05/wn020405.html . The Association of American Publishers opposes it, but the public pays for it -- and for publishing it -- and should not have to pay to see it. 4. CLIMATE CHANGE: FEDERAL STUDY RESOLVES DISPUTE OVER WARMING. For more than a decade, scientists reported an apparent discrepancy between rates of warming at the surface and in the troposphere. Warming deniers argued that it cast doubt on the whole climate change picture. Now the federal Climate Change Science Program, convened by the Bush administration, concludes that there is no conflict. Moreover, there is clear evidence of human influence on the climate system. In the meantime, viral diseases, including the West Nile virus, are moving north, and malaria is climbing the mountains in Africa and South America. 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.bobpark.org What's New is moving to a different listserver and our subscription process has changed. To change your subscription status please visit this link: http://listserv.umd.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=bobparks-whatsnew&A=1
