Science & Society

It seems that as this discussion continues, more and more concepts become conflated producing all manner of irrelevant comparisons that create more and more confusion. In the first place, we have the problem of defining what we even mean by food safety.  Truth be told, we don't have any idea what constitutes "safe" food beyond the fact that we may have a history of consuming it without obvious incidence.  Even here, we have a basic problem because many people may have allergies or sensitivites that have always existed, or are now being recognized. So, the notion of food "safety" is…

Citizen engagement is essential to our fast-changing civilization. Politics could certainly use more empowerment of common citizens. So could innovative commerce, and even national defense relies on a robust citizenry. But one area with especially bright prospects, is crowd-sourced -- or individual participation in -- inventiveness and science. It's a topic I've discussed many times. As a teenager, growing up in Los Angeles, I participated in the American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO), gathering mountains of data for professional astronomers, one…

In 2008, China needed to improve the air around Beijing before the Olympics, so they did something that was considered Draconian - they banned cars for everyone except the rich and the government. It worked. A new study from UCLA says forcing cars off the roads works in California as well.  In study findings announced today, researchers report that they measured air pollutants during last year's Carmageddon (July 15th, 2011) and found that when 10 miles of the 405 closed, air quality near the shuttered portion improved within minutes, reaching levels 83 percent better than on comparable…

In one of the most comprehensive global surveys of corporate board directors to date, men and women directors were found to be in striking alignment on economic outlook, political and regulatory concerns, and the business challenges facing their companies - but differ sharply when it comes to board diversity.  Released today, the 2012 Board of Directors Survey - conducted by Women Corporate Directors (WCD), Heidrick&Struggles, Professor Boris Groysberg of the Harvard Business School, and researcher Deborah Bell - details the governance practices, strategic priorities, and views on…

An Internet freedom advocacy group has rated 14 countries as "free" in a new report, with Estonia, USA and Germany leading in online freedom for citizens, while countries such as Cuba, China and Iran have the least freedom.   The global survey 'Freedom on the Net 2012', was released this week.   The analysis covers 47 countries in six geographical regions, and was conducted by Washington-based Freedom House between January 2011 and May 2012.   This is the organization's third report in a series that began in 2009. By creating a numerical index that ranks each…

The anti-GMO contingent may be anti-science, and they may be overwhelmingly progressive, but what they are not - and it is refreshing - is hypocritical when it comes to criticizing their own side of the aisle. Outside America, anyway. During an election year, it is expected that partisans circle the wagons.  This week I saw no less than four science media articles contending that the left is awesome in its science acceptance and the right is horrible, despite there being overwhelming evidence and a whole book debunking that feel-good fallacy.  No one in mainstream science media is…

Here is a head scratcher; when confronted about the vague, conflicting language in Proposition 37 - even the real name, the California Right to Know Genetically Modified Food Act, is weird and disjointed - Attorney James Wheaton, who made his fortune in nuisance lawsuits under the Proposition 65 labeling act he championed, told the Sacramento Bee's Dan Moran he put so little thought into the verbage of Proposition 37 that he he hadn't given any thought to whether he might litigate over the new measure, if it passes. Wait, a lawyer who was hand-picked by organic food companies to…

Are you in favor of solar power?  Good luck getting any large scale installations to go up.  While energy activists want to get rid of fossil fuels and support solar power, environmental activists block solar plants with lawsuits. And then there is the union left, who block solar projects for environmental reasons too - unless the company agrees to use union labor even in a right-to-work state, then their concern about the environment disappears. But solar power is not the only example. Mother Jones can hardly be called a darling of big business, or the right, or corporations, and…

Newspapers and journalists have given a lot of coverage to Proposition 37, the oddly named California Right to Know Genetically Modified Food Act. Laurel Rosenhall, writing in the Sacramento Bee today (whose editorial board recommends a 'no' vote on it) oddly mentions the big corporations funding public relations campaigns against it but then seems to pit them against lovely sounding small names like "Amy's Kitchen" and "Nature's Path", without ever mentioning that the biggest reason this is on the ballot at all is because out-of-state crackpots who have been penalized time and again by…

Science Left Behind is about the corruption of science writing as a profession. Science writing has become politicized and unfortunately the consumer suffers. Personally, I find it painful to listen to or read a shallow analysis with a partisan slant on science related issues. But, many major news publications and television stations are owned and managed by partisans. Many of the talking heads and analysts you see on television are funded by partisan think tanks and foundations. From my own experiences publishing in many formats, I have had Liberal editors say I am not publishing that and…