Re: population growth & physics ed

[PPARKER@TWSUVM.UC.TWSU.EDU]

> Date: Tue, 16 Jul 1996 18:50:07 -0400 (EDT)
> From: "Dave Baum - Drew University Physics Dept." <DBAUM@drew.edu>
>
>
> I don't think it's cynical to suspect motives behind dire warnings;  look at
> the ALAR scare just a few years ago.  Newspapers and TV news want to report
> these 'fast-breaking' stories so they can get ratings and sell ad space/time.
> Never mind whether the news is true or not.

And lawyers want money: just look at the silicone implant cases and settlements
in which there is *no* scientific evidence that there is any linkage. (Of
course there was an additional motive for some: implants are politically
incorrect, except for victims of cancer etc. But Dow Corning is bankrupt,
so the approved victims now can't choose either.)
    Oh, well, at least those aren't physics. Are there any egregious examples
of junk physics in the courtroom, especially winning a case?

> I was in Kansas during the great flood three years ago, and while I felt bad
> that
> people lost their homes, I couldn't help but wonder what possessed these people
> to build their houses in a river bed.

In Wichita, some people sued some years ago and forced the city to renege on
its agreement with the Corps not to allow construction in certain designated
overflow areas. After the flood, they sued the city for not stopping them from
building anyway. Sigh.

------------------------------
Random quote for this second:
  One difference between a man and a machine is that a machine
  is quiet when well oiled.