This week at the Intersection, in addition to our regular postings we're also going to carry a series of guest posts from Science in the News (SITN), a group of Harvard Ph.D. students whose communication attempts we greatly admire. This is the first post, and merely intended to let SITN introduce itself. One hope is that by featuring the group here, we will inspire the growth of similar organizations at other campuses. So, here they go: Science in the News (SITN) is an organization of PhD students at Harvard University, and our mission is to bring the newest and most relevant science to a general audience. At SITN, we strive to share our enthusiasm for science without over-hyping the promise of new discoveries, and to wade through the technical jargon to make science more accessible. For over a decade, we've been presenting a fall lecture series at Harvard Medical School. The lectures focus on a diversity of current and newsworthy topics, such as stem cell biology and climate change. We also publish a regular online newsletter, the SITN Flash. The Flash is written by graduate students at Harvard and focuses on current scientific discoveries and emerging fields. SITN also hosts “Science by the Pint” in ...
Monthly Archives: June 2010
Crazier and crazier in South Carolina: Sen. Knotts now accuses Sanford and Nikki Haley of turning GOP into the Libertarian Party
"This is not the Republican Party, this is the Libertarian Party"
From Eric Dondero:
The State Republican Party took the unusual step of officially denouncing State Senator Jake Knotts for his comments against probably GOP Governor nominee Nikki Haley. Knotts, who supported a rival candidate for the nomination, called her a "raghead" on a local South Carolina radio show Pub Politics.
Now Knotts is responding by accusing Haley, and current Governor Mark Sanford of being sexually tolerant "Libertarians" who've taken over the GOP.
From The State:
Lexington County Republicans voted to rebuke state Sen. Jake Knotts and ask him to resign his office after he used a racial slur last week against state Rep. Nikki Haley.
Both lawmakers are from Lexington County and the dispute was a feud between old guard Knotts and Haley, who represents the rising conservative wing of the party. Knotts referred to Haley, whose parents are Indian immigrants, as a “raghead” on an Internet political talk show.
Knotts said Thursday night he would not resign, and said the resolution was pushed by supporters of Haley and Gov. Mark Sanford, Knotts’ longtime adversary.
South Carolina State Senator Jake Knotts (R-Lexington) answers a question during a news conference at the Statehouse Friday, June 26, 2009. Knotts confirmed that SLED has agreed to open an investigation into governor Mark Sanford's actions.
“This is not a Republican Party, this is a libertarian party,” Knotts said, noting the group did not censure Sanford last year after he admitted an extramarital affair. “This is nothing but politics. I’m not resigning. I could care less.”
UPDATE!
In a video just breaking Sen. Knotts now says that the Libertarian Party has infiltrated the SC GOP. "This is nothing more than politics coming from the Libertarian Party." See the video of a sweaty Knotts being interviewed at the Eisenhower Republican blog Ikekonic
Iowa GOP’s move to center with Branstad may benefit Libertarian Party
From Eric Dondero:
The Iowa Republican Party recently nominated former longtime Governor Terry Branstad, a thoroughly uninspiring choice. As a result, the Libertarian Party may now be poised to pick off a more substantial margin from the anti-tax, anti-incumbent Right.
From LP press release via IowaPolitics.com:
Eric Cooper, the Libertarian Candidate for Governor of Iowa, said today that Terry Branstad’s win in the Republican primary is great news for the Libertarian Party. Cooper is attempting to get 2% in the Iowa Governor’s race in order to get major party status in Iowa for the Libertarian Party.
“There is a strong anti-incumbent sentiment in America at present, and with Terry Branstad’s win in the Republican primary, it means that we will essentially be running against two incumbents in the general election,” says Cooper.
Cooper, 44, (the Libertarian candidate for Governor) is an Associate Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at Iowa State University, and is currently the Vice Chairman of the Libertarian Party of Iowa.
Cooper is running a Tea Party style campaign. His platform includes repealing the minumum wage, overturning bans on smoking, repealing cigarette taxes, and allowing fireworks sales. Coopersmallergovernment.com
Center-right surprises in Slovakia; continues Euro-trend towards free markets
by Clifford F. Thies
The Center-right bloc scored a surprising victory in the parliamentary election just concluded in Slovakia.
The four parties of the center-right, one of which is a newly-formed flat-tax party popular among the young people of the country, secured a majority in the parliament. The current prime minister, leader of the Social Democrats, all but conceded the election, saying he is ready to lead the opposition in parliament. Iveta Radicova, leader of the Christian Democrats of Slovakia, who looks likely to be the next prime minister of her country, described the victory as a "morning miracle."
In Slovakia, the center-right bloc is the more inclusive (with respect to Hungarians and Roma people). For example, Ms Radicova says that the laws must go that criminalize use of the Hungarian language in certain instances and forbid dual citizenship.
Contributing to this surprising victory was the failure of the Peoples Party to meet the threshold for representation in the parliament. Accordingly, even though the popular vote was close between the ruling, center left/far-right coalition and the opposition center-right, the center-right won a clear majority of the seats in parliament.
Outgoing ruling, center-left/far-right coalition (69 seats)
Social Democrats 35% (62)
Slovak Nationalists 5% (7)
Peoples Party 4% (0)Center-right bloc (77)
Slovak Christian Democrats 15% (26)
Freedom Party 12% (22)
Slovak-Hungarian Bridge Party 8% (15)
Hungarian Christian Democrats 8% (14)
Note the Freedom Party (SaS), supportive of the flat tax is identified by The Economist as "the free market party."
Inverter Tripping Main Panel
Hi, I have an inverter panel that was installed to run a 3 phase car lift from single phase supply. The problem is now the when power is put onto the new inverter panel it is tripping a breaker in the main board. The problem is firstly that I am not familiar with this type of breaker. Can anybody te
Communication Between AVR and PLC
We have a Basler Electric (USA) make AVR and Metso Automation make PLC system MAX DNA. The PLC system is ethernet based.
We are now trying to establish communication between these devices using the modbus protocol. But there is some error somewhere and we are unable to succeed.
I 'am f
Discharge Classes in LA
what are the discharges classes of Lightning Arresters
Buchholz Relay Angle
what is the need of angle in buchholz relay. why that angle is kept 2-7degree.
whats the problem if that pipe is in horizontal position.
please reply me.
thanks and regard
ravikumar pogiri
NASA Dryden Hosts Radar Tests for Next Mars Landing
This test of the radar system to be used during the August 2012 descent and landing of the NASA Mars rover Curiosity mounted an engineering test model of the radar system onto the nose of a helicopter. › Larger image
Engineers with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., are running diverse trials with a test version of the radar system that will enable NASA's Mars Science Laboratory mission to put the Curiosity rover onto the Martian surface in August 2012.
One set of tests conducted over a desert lakebed at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, Calif., in May 2010 used flights with a helicopter simulating specific descent paths anticipated for Martian sites.
During the final stage of descent, NASA's Mars Science Laboratory mission will use a "sky crane" maneuver to lower Curiosity on a bridle from the mission's rocket-powered descent stage. The descent stage will carry Curiosity's flight radar.
The testing at Dryden included lowering a rover mockup on a tether from the helicopter to assess how the sky crane maneuver will affect the radar's descent-speed determinations by the radar. The helicopter carried the test radar on a special nose-mounted gimbal.
Helicopter-flown testing has also been conducted at other desert locations for experience in an assortment of terrains. Later in 2010, the team plans to test the higher-altitude, higher-velocity part of Curiosity's radar-aided descent by flying the test radar on dives by an F/A-18 jet from Dryden.
For more information about the Mars Science Laboratory radar testing at Dryden, see http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/msl/msl_rover_tests.html. More about the Mars Science Laboratory is at http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/. JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Science Laboratory Project for the NASA Science Mission Directorate, Washington.
Performance Painting in Nimes south of France
Lovely warm morning today I woke up at 7.30am and ran to have a shower there are a lot less buses on Sundays just one every hour so I wanted to have a cup of coffee and say good night to my boyfriend before the 9 something bus.I got on the bus with my big canvas and the tanned and handsome bus driver raised his eyebrows and asked what I was up to. I told him I was going to paint the Arena and tr
A week in Broome
Finally some wind just when you DON'T want it getting bogged pearls and a surprise meeting with old friends.After a hot shower and a good night's sleep in a bed that wasn't moving Simon was out investigating the options for refuelling the boat. Neither option was particularly attractive. One was to refuel at the main jetty run by the Port Authority which is really intended for large commerc
Ma’ams Birthday
DAY 584Happy birthday your Majesty I hope you have a good one.Well as usual the weekend came and went in the blink of an eye and it was soon back to work I got home on Monday night and within that day plans had been made for what we were going to do for the long weekend to come.Ah yes the long weekend well itrsquos the Queens Birthday on the 14th June I donrsquot know if its her officia
Flyin
So Pau is pretty much an exact replica of Moscow only bigger with more things to do and in Francehellip. Well I guess only the weather is exactly like in Moscow bipolar. I am still battling the plague and I think it is because I wake up in the morning and it is sunny so I wear a cute skirt to class then on my way I can see my breath then after class it is very warm then it rains again I
Day 4 Coastal walk to Paramonas
And after a night of next to no sleep.............why Well behind the appartments at Santa Barbara is a stream and it is full of frogs. Any from sun down to sun up they do more than croak they screem it sounded more like a maternity unit than the frog corus. Usual breakfast at 830 whilst watching local fishermen pull imn their nets. Other workers are putting out the sunbeds and a digger is mov
not quite mosquito bites
Bottle Beach Lifestyle
So today we hopped on a ferry to Ko phangnan which is the island famous for having all the Full Moon parties. The parties are held in Hat Rin where most of the backpackers go to stay and they have a beach of course but itrsquos really touristy. We had read up about a beach called Bottle Beach that is quite secluded and meant to be the most beautiful beach on the island. Since neither one of us
Marine Corps Historic Half Marathon
Getting to this race was brutal Though once there I had the best time ever...literally I got a PR of 22048 My friend said so you ran in 221 then I said NO I ran it in 22048 He just laughed at me and now calls me Twelve Seconds. Where to begin where to begin....The plan was to land at Reagan National and rent a car and then find a hotel room. I know I know...but I don't like to boo
la vida loca in Kabul
De mai bine de doua saptamani am aterizat in Kabul. Dimineata devreme1548 credeam eu1548 doar ca aici lumea se trezeste chiar de dimineata. Zile la rand mam trezit in jur de 4.30 dimineata1548 odata cu chemarea imanului la rugaciunea de dinainte de rasaritul soarelui. De cateva zile ma trezesc1548 imi spun si eu o rugaciune in gand si adorm la loc. Nu prea mult1548 pentru ca in ju
I Really Need To Do This More Often…
Well Good Afternoon Nearest and Dearest i have a few more pages in my note book which i think should be typed down on a few electrically formed blank white sheets for all you to readI left you WEEKS ago having read about my walks from Bondi to Coogee and my trip to the AquariumI left Surfside Hostel on the 2nd of June to travel about 20minutes to the central of Sydney and checked into Wake Up
Our Grand Adventure
Sunday 13 June 2010We started planning our trip a year ago when we learned that my husband Russelrsquos niece would be getting married next Wednesday in Haifa Israel. As soon as we were able we booked five tickets to Tel Aviv and returning with stops in London and Bangkok using frequent flyer miles we saw it as a very good sign that we could book all the flights we required on the exac