Category Archives: inthenews

Gasoline: Up, Economy: Down

A friend and financial analyst was over last night for some socializing. On his way out the door he quipped, “better trade in that car soon; $4 gasoline is a month away”.

My dislike of staring at tail lights has almost led me to study the bus schedule, this could be the last straw. 34 to the 65 (or the 2): bus routes.

And Ben Bernanke – new chairman of the Federal Reserve – said the Economy is worse than previously stated. Surprise, surprise. Perhaps he and the Bush administration have successfully extracted their long necks from the sand.

Beelzebufo – the Devil Frog

beelzebufo.jpgDescribed in an article this week, the Beelzebufo, or Devil Frog is the largest currently known frog to have existed.

It totally makes me want to support the reanimation of extinct creatures from DNA. I want a frog from hell as a pet!

They were predatory. He could live under my house and eat the neighborhood rats.

It also wins for best scientific name of the week.

Political Appointees Eviscerate Science

This is actually more of a free speech case. It’s disappointing on both levels.

I just found out that Ms. Chris Comer was forced to resign as the director of the Texas Education Agency. (I wished she would have forced a firing – but everyone much choose their own battles.) She was forced to step down for forwarding an email about a lecture.

Her interview on NPR’s Science Friday was horrifying to listen to. I had to respond to the chron’s Science Guy, who reads as defending the state’s stance, with the following:

Eric,
You’re going to invoke Richard Smalley, born in 1943 in Ohio, raised in Missouri, schooled at Hope College, University of Michigan, and Princeton – as proof that today’s state of public science education is healthy?

The mere fact that Ms. Comer was ejected from the Texas Education Agency under such ridiculous circumstances is case enough to state that there is a HUGE problem!

It’s also sad, that the link you had to provide was from the Austin American-Statesman, and a google searching of chron.com provides me a dead link.

Did the editorial board address this issue? Though it’s of minimal effect, it’s something they should have done!

I expect heads to roll over this. I will be sorely disappointed.