Science > Physics > WHAT'S NEW Robert L. Park Friday, 28 Jul 06 Washington, DC
| Topic: |
Science > Physics |
| User: |
"Sam Wormley" |
| Date: |
28 Jul 2006 04:16:53 PM |
| Object: |
WHAT'S NEW Robert L. Park Friday, 28 Jul 06 Washington, DC |
WHAT'S NEW Robert L. Park Friday, 28 Jul 06 Washington, DC
1. BLEEP: IT IS PHYSICS THAT UNLEASHED THIS PLAGUE ON MANKIND.
Some suggested that I take refuge behind the Geneva Convention or
the Eighth Amendment rather than watch the film What the Bleep Do
We Know. It was penance for allowing myself to be used on ABC's
Primetime, where Adam Dreamhealer attributed his awesome power
to "quantum mechanics." In "Bleep" every spiritual claim becomes
an example of "consciousness" acting through quantum mechanics.
In physics, unfortunately, the word "consciousness" is invariably
followed by *****. Having found a way to make incredibly
precise predictions at the atomic level, we chose to ignore the
fact that we don't understand it. After all, QM has transformed
the world. We now flaunt the fact that no one understands
quantum mechanics. We have begun to enjoy being high priests of
a mystical religion. It's like giving Mass in Latin.
2. THE CAST: PHYSICS IS NOT AN INOCULATION AGAINST FOOLISHNESS.
Nor does it rule out mendacity. Two Ph.D. physicists, William
Tiller and John Hagelin, who were in "Bleep," are afflicted with
both conditions, and have been in WN in the past. Just look for
them in http://bobpark.physics.umd.edu/search.html . In "Bleep,"
Hagelin again claimed, as he has countless times, to have reduced
violent crime in Washington, DC in the summer of 1993 by the
meditation of 1,000 TM "experts" in unison. I was at the press
conference a year later when he reported that the reduction was
18%. "18% relative to what" a puzzled reporter asked? "Relative
to what it would have been if they had not been meditating," he
replied. In fact the DC murder rate during that period was the
highest ever recorded. More on Tiller and Ramtha next week.
3. KANSAS: WILL VOTERS WAKE UP FOR TUESDAY'S PRIMARY ELECTION?
Voters don't pay attention to School Board elections unless there
is a problem. Well, there's a problem: Creationists have a 6-4
majority. It can be solved; 4 creationists are up for election.
4. NASA: "OUR HOME PLANET" IS REMOVED FROM MISSION STATEMENT.
On 3 Feb, after NASA climate scientist James Hansen told the NY
Times he was being harassed for speaking out about greenhouse gas
emissions http://bobpark.physics.umd.edu/WN06/wn020306.html ,
NASA Chief Michael Griffin issued a "scientific openness" policy.
However, on 6 Feb, the phrase, "understand and protect our home
planet," was quietly removed from the NASA mission statement. It
had been cited by Hansen to justify his remarks.
5. GLOBAL WARMING: PASSING THE HAT FOR A FOSSIL FUEL APOLOGIST.
AP today reports that Patrick Michaels, one of the last global
warming deniers, told officials of Western coal-burning utilities
that he's running out of money to "analyze" scientific critics.
He's professor of environmental science at U. Virginia and senior
fellow of the libertarian Cato Institute. It's OK to be a
lobbyist, as long as you don't pretend to be a scientist.
THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND.
Opinions are the author's and not necessarily shared by the
University of Maryland, but they should be.
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