-Caveat Lector- WHAT'S NEW Robert L. Park Friday, 3 Sep 99 Washington, DC 1. SPY HYSTERIA: BUT WILL YOU STILL RESPECT ME IN THE MORNING? "Safe sex" takes on an entirely different meaning under a new DOE policy requiring employees who hold security clearances to report any "close and continuing contacts" with foreigners from a list of 25 sensitive countries. In response to employee requests for clarification of "close and continuing," one-night stands were specifically exempted from the reporting requirements. This could be the biggest romantic turn-off since nipple piercing. 2. BUDGET: WHITE HOUSE GIVES SCIENCE TOP BILLING. No one was surprised that White House Chief of Staff John Podesta would use a slow news week to promise a veto of Republican spending plans and tax cut proposals. The White House is spoiling for a fight. What was remarkable was that, of all the issues he could have used to justify a veto, he chose to devote his speech to the impact on science funding. He quoted Allan Bromley's op-ed in last week's Washington Post (WN 27 Aug 99): "Congress has lost sight of the critical role science plays in American life." He also lashed Congress for diverting almost $1B to earmarked projects, "undermining the discipline of competition and peer review and slashing funds for higher priority projects." Even James Sensenbrenner (R-WI), House Science Committee chair, while charging the Administration with significantly overstating the amount of money that can be made available for science, welcomed the Administration to the cause of increased science funding. 3. NIF: DIRECTOR RESIGNS AMIDST TALK OF COST OVERRUNS. Even as DOE was undertaking a complete review of the National Ignition Facility at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, the director of the $1.2B project, Mike Campbell, resigned for "personal reasons." The announcement followed a blitz of anonymous faxes revealing that Campbell had misrepresented himself as a PhD. His bio in the '95-'96 edition of American Men and Women of Science claims a PhD in Applied Physics from Princeton in '77, but he had no bio in earlier editions. He is expected to lose his security clearance. He was named a Fellow of the APS in '88 and received the APS Excellence in Plasma physics award in '90. The DOE review of NIF is focusing on the causes of a rumored $300M cost overrun. 4. EVOLUTION: WAS THERE A KANSAS BEFORE THERE WERE PEOPLE? The Grace Dangberg Foundation was created in 1982 "to improve the quality of history education." Eight months ago, it proudly announced that it was developing a new textbook on the history of Kansas for seventh and eighth graders. The book was to begin with the rich fossil record of the inland sea that once covered the state. That was before the Kansas School Board deleted Darwin from the curriculum. "You don't want to offend any group in Kansas," the foundation's director said, explaining why the book will now start with the arrival of native Americans. THE AMERICAN PHYSICAL SOCIETY (Note: Opinions are the author's and are not necessarily shared by the APS, but they should be.) DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance—not soapboxing! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory', with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright frauds is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRL gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credeence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://home.ease.lsoft.com/archives/CTRL.html http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
