Search Results for: john plodinec

Science Diplomacy “…and furthermore…”

The previous LOTRW post reflecting on science diplomacy triggered two responses that prompt this brief postscript. The first came from a social-scientist/Facebook friend via Messenger. My colleague opined: The concept of what is valid academic scholarship and research must change … Continue reading

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COP-28 re-enters the real world.

Earth’s atmosphere is warming, but when it comes to institutions of marriage and honeymoons, the air seems cooler, bordering on frigid. Statistics show that marriage is on the decline, especially in the wealthier countries. The duration and scheduling of honeymoons … Continue reading

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The real world. No place for wishful thinking. Part 5. Reparations (by any other name)? Money is just the start.

In a lawsuit the first to speak seems right, until someone comes forward and cross-examines. – Proverbs 18:17 When I posted Part 4 a week ago, I breathed a sigh of relief. I figured this string had run its course, … Continue reading

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The real world – no place for wishful thinking. Part 1. Hazards. An (extended) postscript.

(For starters, I hope that all of you who read the previous LOTRW post on hazards will revisit that post and read John Plodinec’s thoughtful comments). Here are just a few examples of articles published this past week that shed … Continue reading

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Bootstrap World: the Climb-out.

[note added: John Plodinec has provided a quick yet quintessentially thoughtful response to this post. There’s much to like. I encourage readers to consider and reflect on what he’s had to say.] The previous LOTRW post noted that (1) disaster … Continue reading

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The George Herbert Walker Bush remembrances – Redux.

“We can find meaning and reward by serving some higher purpose than ourselves, a shining purpose, the illumination of a Thousand Points of Light…We all have something to give.”– President George H. W. Bush It’s the Presidents Day weekend. Let’s … Continue reading

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Partisan (?) science continued.

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the … Continue reading

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More good news to start 2018: 2017 was the safest year on record for air travel.

Continuing the good-news theme of recent LOTRW posts, the flight safety story lit up yesterday’s internet. This report, from Fortune’s website, gives the flavor:  Airlines recorded zero accident deaths in commercial passenger jets last year, according to a Dutch consulting … Continue reading

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Reflections on science, defensive behavior – and Easter. Part II. The good news.

(Physicist Tom McLeish’s quote and eleven others in a similar vein can be found on that well-known religious website – where else? – BuzzFeed.) “…The best defense of science is pointing out all the positives we’ve accomplished…” –John Plodinec (In … Continue reading

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$100 trillion? Opportunity or sinkhole? The reaction so far.

  The law of holes: “When you find yourself in a hole, quit digging.” – Will Rogers As noted in a previous LOTRW post, the world’s peoples face a $100T bill coming due. That’s how much nations must spend over … Continue reading

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