Chu on this - Secretary Chu’s Visit to BNL

Geez, Prof. your hair got grey... California dreamin ~~~?

New Secretary of Energy Steven Chu visited Brookhaven on Monday March 23 to announce the first allocations of stimulus funding from the DOE Office of Science via the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) — and to take a whirlwind tour of the laboratory’s facilities, including RHIC. This was the Secretary’s first visit to a national laboratory since joining the administration.
read more - http://www.bnl.gov/rhic/news/033109/story1.asp

UVU - Newspapers stolen... more than meets the eye... from the Chronicle of Higher Education

from the Chronicle of Higher Education...

March 29, 2009
Utah Valley U. Student Newspaper's Issue Is Stolen From Racks
Nearly every copy of the student newspaper at Utah Valley University, the UVU Review, went missing last week, and student staff members can’t figure out why. The newspaper prints about 4,000 copies a week, the Deseret News reported, and staffers estimate that 3,500 of them were taken from racks and removed from the campus.
A search of trash bins turned up none of the missing papers. “Whoever it was had to put in some work to get that many papers off campus,” said Jack Waters, the paper’s editor in chief.
Staff members could identify only two potentially controversial items in the March 23 issue, an editorial calling for changes in student-government elections and a letter to the editor criticizing the state regents’ recent choice of Matthew S. Holland, an assistant professor of political science at Brigham Young University, as Utah Valley’s next president. Both items are available on the newspaper’s Web site, and every article in the stolen issue will be reprinted in the paper’s next one.
Chris Taylor, associate vice president for university marketing and communications, said Utah Valley officials were taking the matter seriously. “This is a possible First Amendment issue,” he said. —Charles HuckabeePosted on Sunday March 29, 2009 Comments
It is certainly interesting to hear of an assistant professor becoming a university president. I would like to hear more about what is behind that – not the PR, what is really behind it.
Jim
— Jim Mar 29, 09:27 PM
Jim, not sure about all of the factors that went into hiring Holland (who’s an associate prof., not assistant prof—click on the link at Holland’s name), but Holland is the son of top Mormon leader (and former BYU president) Jeffrey Holland. Utah Valley U. is just a few miles away from BYU. This isn’t just any associate professor, in other words. UVU has expanded rapidly in recent years and hasn’t been a university for very long.
— John Mar 30, 01:50 AM For more on the culture of Utah Valley U (back in 2004 when it was still Utah Valley State College), see the excellent documentary “This Divided State” about Michael Moore’s visit there (http://thisdividedstate.com).
— John K. Wilson Mar 30, 09:53 AM
Looks like the Momans are moving in to take over again…..
— fred1988 Mar 30, 09:59 AM
Oh good… a Michael Moore movie. I’m sure everything in it is 100% accurate!
— scooter Mar 30, 10:01 AM
For the sake of student freedom of the press those who took the papers, regardless of their motivation, should be found and turned over to the student government disciplinary system. Stealing papers is an incidious kind of suppression of freedom of the press.
— Everett Frost Mar 30, 10:05 AM
Oh good… a knee-jerk reaction to the mention of Michael Moore’s name! In truth, this documentary was directed by Stephen Greenstreet and concerns a visit in 2004 by Moore, who was invited by student representatives to speak. Google the title.
— David Mar 30, 10:39 AM
I actually kind of figured that it wasn’t directed by Moore. Still, I couldn’t resist leveling a shot at him though. I’m sure the documentary is interesting.
— scooter Mar 30, 10:51 AM

Notorious Arms Dealer Busted in Bangkok - ABC News

'bout time they caught him...

One of the world's most notorious arms dealers was arrested today in Bangkok on allegations that he supplied Colombian rebels with arms and explosives, Thai police said.

Victor Bout, one of the world's most notorious arms dealers was arrested Thursday in Bangkok on allegations that he supplied Colombian rebels with arms and explosives, Thai police said. Russian Viktor Bout was arrested in his hotel room in the capital, Bangkok, on a warrant issued by a Thai court, said Police Lt. Gen. Pongpat Chayapan, head of the Crime Suppression Bureau.
http://abcnews.go.com/TheLaw/Story?id=4399285&page=1

John Hope Franklin, 1915-2009 - Washington Post

What is "is" ? Tellin' it like it is.

John Hope Franklin, 1915-2009
Historian Helped Blaze a Civil Rights Path

John Hope Franklin, left, who was thrust into a role as

social activist, speaks with President Bill Clinton, right, and members of the race advisory board. (White House) Franklin knew many famed figures of the black struggle in the 1950s and '60s, including Martin Luther King Jr. A lifelong academic, Franklin wrote works that remain staples on college reading lists. In 1995, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. (By Katherine Frey -- The Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/25/AR2009032503905.html?hpid=artslot

Does This Mean the End Is Near? - from the MotleyFool.com

Buffet diet ?

Does This Mean the End Is Near?
By Chuck Saletta March 25, 2009

It's something I never thought I'd see -- Jim Cramer and Warren Buffett agreeing.
I mean, Buffett is the master of value investing whose favorite holding period is, famously, "forever." Cramer, on the other hand, believes "there's always a bull market somewhere" and encourages frequent trading in pursuit of today's hot stocks.
They couldn't be more different -- so why are they agreeing? And does this signal some kind of economic end times?

Obama's Afghanistan Policy: Q&A with Gilles Dorronsoro

From Carnegie Endowment for Peace
The U.S. administration's Afghanistan policy is expected to be rolled out this week ahead of the NATO summit on April 3-4. In a new Q&A, Gilles Dorronsoro discusses the best use of reinforcements, what's necessary to build a stable Afghan state, and how to define success before withdrawal.
http://carnegieendowment.org/publications/index.cfm?fa=view&id=22884

When the Government Writes Checks, Where Does the Money Come From? - from McNeil Lehrer Newshour

With billions of dollars paid out or promised for financial industry bailouts and the stimulus bill -- and more requests on the way -- Paul Solman looks at where the government is getting the money to pay for the rescue measures.
read all - http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/business/jan-june09/solman_03-17.html

Some Activists Barred From Government Work - by Dan Eggen of the Washington Post

Some Activists Barred From Government WorkNonprofits and Public Interest Groups Are Hurrying to Meet Obama's Strict New Ethics Guidelines
By Dan EggenWashington Post Staff WriterSunday, March 22, 2009; A04
Nonprofit and public interest groups are scrambling to adapt to President Obama's stringent new ethics guidelines, which are so sweeping that they have blocked the ability of many sympathetic activists to get hired by the new administration.
Many of the groups are rushing to terminate or curtail their lobbying activities as a result of the rules, which bar new officials from making policy on any matter involving their former employer or clients for a period of two years or from working at an agency they lobbied within the past two years. Congressional records show that more than 700 lobbyists or lobbying groups have filed "de-registration" papers with the House and Senate since Obama took office, including scores of charities and other nonprofits. ( read more at link below )
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/21/AR2009032100761.html

Science groups ramp up NIH advocacy - Posted by Bob Grant from the Scientist.com

Written by Bob Grant
[Entry posted at 20th March 2009 10:13 PM GMT]

As the FY2010 federal budget readies for Congressional battles and public debate, science advocacy groups are upping their recommendations for funding increases at the National Institutes of Health. But are their calls realistic? The Ad Hoc Group for Medical Research, which is composed of the American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC), the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB), the Campaign for Medical Research, the National Health Council, and Research!America, has called for a 7% increase in NIH's FY2010 budget. The consortium recommended a 6.6% NIH budget increase in the FY2009 budget. Advocacy groups, it seems, have been emboldened by President Barrack Obama's recent assurances that science will play a more important role in his administration than it has in years past.

Foreign Students Are Less Inclined to Seek Jobs in the U.S., Survey Finds - from the Chronicle of Higher Education

Foreign Students Are Less Inclined to Seek Jobs in the U.S., Survey Finds
By KATHERINE MANGAN
Foreign students who have traditionally stayed in the United States after graduation are beginning to find their job prospects more promising back home than in the U.S., a trend that is being accelerated by recent protectionist measures by American companies, according to a report being released today by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation.
( see the report here - http://www.kauffman.org/Details.aspx?id=6852 )

BBC news - March 1, 2009

A Chinese lunar probe has crashed into the moon in what Beijing has called a controlled collision.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7917957.stm

Do gooder...

MacArthur Foundation Appoints New President
From the Chronicle of Philanthropy - By Ian Wilhelm

Robert L. Gallucci, a former American diplomat and weapons inspector, has been chosen to be the next president of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, one of the nation’s largest foundations.

read full article
http://philanthropy.com/news/updates/index.php?id=7383

Down with Facebook!" - from the Weekly Standard

Down with Facebook! What nobody bothers to mention about the social-networking site is that it's really dull--mind-numbingly dull.
The Weekly Standard - by Matt Labash 03/16/2009, Volume 014, Issue 25

What nobody bothers to mention about the social-networking site is that it's really dull--mind-numbingly dull. Look at the outer shell--the parachute pants, the piano-key tie, the fake tuxedo T-shirt--and you might mistake me for a slave to fashion. Do not be deceived. Early adoption isn't my thing. I much prefer late adoption, that moment when the trend-worshipping sheeple who have early-adopted drive the unsustainable way of life I so stubbornly cling to ever so close to the edge of obsolescence, that I've no choice but to follow. This explains why I bought cassette tapes until 1999, why I wouldn't purchase a DVD player until Blockbuster cashiered their VHS stock. Toothpaste? I use it now that it's clear it's here to stay.

( I say use Friendster... it's more cuter... read more )http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/016/256implp.asp

Abolishing Nuclear Weapons: A Debate
Carnegie Endowment Report, February 2009

In the past few years, horizontal and vertical proliferation have collided. That is, the need for significant strengthening of the nonproliferation regime in the wake of nuclear developments in North Korea, Iran, Iraq, and Pakistan is now absolutely clear. So too, however, is growing unwillingness among non–nuclear-weapon states to even consider additional measures in what they see as the absence of serious progress by the nuclear-armedstates toward disarmament.

read more...
http://www.carnegieendowment.org/publications/index.cfm?fa=view&id=22748&prog=zgp&proj=znpp

Japan on the Moon by 2025 ( Yomiuri Online )

20２５～３０年に有人月探査…政府構想素案
　政府の宇宙開発戦略本部（本部長・麻生首相）は６日、２０２５～３０年に日本独自で人間を月に送る有人宇宙探査構想を有識者からなる同本部専門調査会に示した。

　日本が得意とするロボット技術と有人探査を組み合わせ、独自性のある宇宙探査の実現を目指す。
　今後の専門調査会での議論を踏まえ、５月にまとめる宇宙基本計画に盛り込む内容を詰める。
　同本部が示した素案では、２０２０年頃にロボット技術を生かした無人の月探査を行い、その上で有人探査を行うとした。しかし、６日の専門調査会では、数兆円ともされる費用など問題点の検討には至らず、４月の調査会で改めて議論することになった。
　政府はこれまで、独自の有人宇宙計画に消極的な姿勢を示してきており、現在は国際宇宙ステーション（ＩＳＳ）への参加など国際協力が中心になっている。今回の素案は、従来方針から転換する内容だが、費用以外にも、有人活動による人命の危険への対応など課題は多い。
（2009年3月7日19時35分 読売新聞）
YOMIURI ONLINE トップへ

New fire at quake-damaged Japanese nuclear power plant

New fire at quake-damaged Japanese nuclear power plant
No radiation leak but latest setback throws into doubt reopening of Kashiwazaki-Karaki power station
Justin McCurry in Tokyo
guardian.co.uk, Thursday 5 March 2009 11.42 GMT

The immediate future of the world's biggest nuclear power station was in doubt today after its eighth fire since it was closed almost two years ago by an earthquake. Quake damage at the plant in 2007. Photograph: Koichi Kamoshida/Getty Images
The fire at Kashiwazaki-Kariwa power station in Japan came as its operators await local authorities' approval to restart one of its seven reactors.
A 39-year-old worker received slight burns in the fire, which was quickly put out and did not cause a radiation leak, according to Tokyo Electric Power.
The plant, in Niigata prefecture north-west of Tokyo, was shut down indefinitely after a magnitude 6.8 earthquake caused a fire and radiation leaks in July 2007.
Japan's nuclear safety watchdog ordered Tokyo Electric to improve safety after another fire last December, but earlier this year the government approved the restarting of the No 7 reactor – the newest and least damaged of the nuclear generators – after deeming it safe.
"It is very regrettable that another fire occurred, even after our order," the deputy trade minister, Harufumi Mochizuki, told reporters. "However, our view that safety at the No 7 reactor is restored remains unchanged."
Tokyo Electric needs the approval of the prefectural government and local residents before it can restart the reactor. About 600,000 residents have signed a petition opposing the restart.
Government inspectors will visit the scene of the latest fire tomorrow. Local government leaders will meet next week to discuss the plant's future.

Federal Student Aid apps are up...

March 8, 2009 from the Chonicle of Higher Education

Applications for Federal Student Aid Are Up So Far This Year
Applications for federal student aid are coming in to the government at a faster pace this year, the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators recently reported, citing information from the U.S. Department of Education.
The department told the association that by the last week in February, it had processed almost three million student-aid applications for the 2009-10 award year, an increase of more than 20 percent over the comparable period in the previous application cycle. The department is expected to post detailed statistics on the Information for Financial Aid Professionals section of its Web site in late March or early April.
The association also reported department figures suggesting continuing gains for the government’s direct-student-loan program, where volume is up more than $7-billion so far this academic year, compared with the same period in 2007-8. The bank-based Federal Family Education Loan program has also seen an increase in volume, of $6.2-million, but 59 fewer institutions have used that program so far this year, compared with the same period last year. —