A Vote For Science

Does the US need a Culture Czar?

Fri, 16 Jan 2009 14:07:52 -0500

I caught a bit on National Public Radio this morning but was distracted and pulling into my destination so all I really caught was "Do we need a Culture Czar?".

The bit can be heard here.

Now as it turns out this is really about creating a Cabinet level position for the Arts. The web blurb reads:

The idea of a Cabinet-level official for the arts has gotten some buzz lately. After all, many other countries have ministers of culture. High-profile artists such as Quincy Jones think it's necessary in the U.S., but not everyone agrees.

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Obama to undo Bush anti-science policies

Mon, 10 Nov 2008 07:37:07 -0500

From the BBC:

US President-elect Barack Obama will seek to reverse Bush administration policies when he enters office on 20 January, his transition chief has said.
John Podesta said executive orders by President George W Bush on issues such as stem cell research and oil drilling were at odds with Mr Obama's views.

Plans to pass a raft of last-minute regulations are also being watched. ...

Read the rest here.

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Results for State Ballot Measures on Science

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 11:14:52 -0500

SEA has put together a list of state ballot measures that involved science including info on what the end result was. The list can be found here and below. It was particularly interesting that Colorado rejected an amendment to the state constitution that defined "the moment in which an egg becomes an established "person."" Also heartening was the passing of the Minnesota constitutional amendment to "allocate funding for protecting Minnesota's water sources, environment, cultural heritage through an increased sales and use tax rate."

California, Proposition 7
By 2010, government-owned utilities must generate 20% of their electricity from renewable energy. By 2020, all utilities must be to levels of 40% and 50% by 2025.
Californians for Solar and Clean Energy
Californians Against Another Clostly Energy Scheme
Did not pass.

California, Proposition 10
To assist people in purchasing certain vehicles and to fund research in alternative fuel and renewable energy, $5 billion in bonds from California's General Fund would be allocated
Coalition for Energy Independence: Yes on Prop 10
Consumer Federation of California
Did not pass.

Colorado - Amendment 48
An amendment to define the moment in which an egg becomes an established "person."
Colorado for Equal Rights
Protect Families, Protect Choice
Did not pass.

Georgia - Amendment 1
An amendment to advance preservation programs for the forests of Georgia through a reduction of property taxes on certain pieces of land.
The Georgia Conservancy
Georgia School Boards Association
Passed.

Michigan - Proposal 08-2
A proposal to expand embryonic stem cell research, with certain limitations on which embryos are appropriate for use.
Stem Cell Research Ballot Question Committee
Michigan Citizens Against Unrestricted Science and Experimentation
Passed.

Minnesota - Constitutional Amendment 1
An amendment to allocate funding for protecting Minnesota's water sources, environment, cultural heritage through an increased sales and use tax rate.
Yes for Minnesota
Taxpayers League of Minnesota
Passed.

Missouri - Propostion C
A proposition which would require investor-owned electric utilities to use renewable sources of electricity to a level of at least 2% of retail sales by 2011 and 15% by 2021.
Missourians for Cleaner Cheaper Energy

Passed.

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Happy Election Day! GO VOTE!

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 12:57:06 -0500

The day is finally here. You've heard it from everyone, but I'll pile on...VOTE! Our final tally on the YouTube AVoteForScience challenge is 30 something videos from scientists endorsing Obama....and not one video from a scientist endorsing McCain. That seems to reflect a general consensus on the issue of who is better on science policy issues. It's too bad, really. It would have been nice to see a good justification for voting the other way if such an argument could be made on science issues. Here are two entertaining videos from the submissions.

Happy voting everyone!

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Our First AVoteForScience Couple!

Sat, 01 Nov 2008 15:01:40 -0500

We have our first submission from a couple! Bernice and Loyal Durand, two theoretical physicists from the University of Wisconsin have both endorsed Barack Obama. I think it's great that a couple would speak out about the importance of science together. Shouldn't be natural to vote together as well? Maybe this election day we should all take the tiny step of making sure all our loved ones vote.

Bernice Durand Endorses Barack Obama

Loyal Durand endorses Barack Obama

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Massive number of OpEds endorsing Obama because of policies on science

Fri, 31 Oct 2008 14:10:51 -0500

In the latest issue of Science, an article on grass-roots efforts by scientists in the last weeks before the election brought up a startling point, that there have been a lot of letters to the Editor and OpEds published in newspapers either endorsing Obama or pointing out the errors of the McCain campaign rhetoric on science. What is absolutely amazing, is that there has not been a single letter or OpEd by a scientist endorsing McCain. Not ONE? Here is a partial list of OpEds and letters that have appeared. This is by no means a comprehensive list. In fact, these are almost all in battleground states. This is a really unusual thing to happen in an election and should be appreciated for sheer volume, not to mention the amount of thoughtful time put into writing these things.

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Nobel Laureate, Murray Gell-Mann endorses Obama

Fri, 31 Oct 2008 11:54:55 -0500

Our latest AVoteforScience videos are up and a new article in Science talks about the effort and other grass roots efforts this year. I will note that Science forgot to mention that the AVoteForScience effort was done in partnership with Seed Magazine/ScienceBlogs. In fact, it couldn't have been done without them.

Of particular interest will be the video by Murray Gell-Mann who received the Nobel prize in physics in 1969. Murray reads the letter from he and 75 of his fellow Laureates in science encouraging the public to vote for Obama.

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76 Nobel Laureates in Science Endorse Obama!

Wed, 29 Oct 2008 02:25:54 -0500

This is unbelievable. The Nobel Laureates for Obama effort just sent me an updated letter with an additional 11 names bringing the total to 76 Nobel laureates in science endorsing Obama. That completely eclipses the previous record of 47 endorsing Kerry and it is more than have ever endorsed anything in history.

Now, this is no group of sycophants, these are some of the greatest minds of our nation, so it is really impossible to view this as some sort of partisan blindness. I can't help but think that the recent ridiculous comments of both McCain and Palin on science have something to to do with the new additions, but to their credit, they limit their statement to science, something they know a little about. For those of you have been asking, I do not know of a single Nobelist in science who has endorsed McCain/Palin.

The updated letter can be found HERE (pdf).

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Enshrining homophobia in California, Arizona and Florida

Tue, 28 Oct 2008 09:36:57 -0500

At least three US states have constitutional amendments designed to bar same-sex marriage on their ballots this cycle (See summary graph for current policies in all 50 states). I was recently bemoaning the complete absence of rational argument in support of the effort in California and some astute commenters broadened my focus. One comment led back to some interesting data on the effect permitting gay marriage has on heterosexual marriage. Data = good.

Wouldn't it be nice if we were able to talk about actual data when considering important political issues? Ahhh, a monkey can dream...

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Kiki Sanford endorses Barack Obama

Mon, 27 Oct 2008 09:26:57 -0500

Today's AVoteForScience video comes from Dr. Kirsten (Kiki) Sanford, the incredibly talented host of This Week in Science, my favorite science radio show. If you haven't heard it, you can download it as a podcast from iTunes or here. OK, cards on the table, I am a regular on the show so I am a little biased, but seriously it is an entertaining romp through the world of science. So, check the show out.

Kiki speaks frankly about innovation, education and technology and the importance of electing a President with a track record of supporting science. If you are a scientist and want your voice heard, upload your video today. Instructions can be found here.

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Physicist Larry Jackel discusses loss of innovation in US and endorses Obama

Fri, 24 Oct 2008 14:41:43 -0500

In a striking video that includes footage of the old Bell Labs building and a frank discussion of the loss of competitiveness in the US, Physicist Larry Jackel explains why he is endorsing Obama for President. See all the AVoteForScience videos HERE

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Latest AVoteForScience video

Fri, 24 Oct 2008 09:26:49 -0500

Here is the latest video from our YouTube AVoteForScience challenge. We will have a lot more videos coming in the week before the election. It is by John Dunbar, a microbiologist from New Mexico. He explains that leadership that is dedicated to fighting global warming is needed in the US and that he believes that Barack Obama is the right guy for the job. His disembodied head-style video is as ominous as his message. You can see all the videos HERE.

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Even more AVoteForScience YouTube videos

Wed, 22 Oct 2008 17:46:53 -0500

We have had a fantastic response to our AVoteForScience YouTube challenge and the press has started to notice. I have done two interviews in the past 24 hours on the effort. If you are a scientist, get your videos explaining who you are voting for and why uploaded to YouTube and don't forget to tag them AVoteForScience so we can find them. I am noticing a lot of physicists uploading videos. Have biologists dropped the ball?

Here are some of the latest videos:
David Palmer an astrophysicist from New Mexico takes aim at John McCain and Sarah Palin's stances on science and endorses Obama.

Bennett Link an astrophysicist from Montana discusses the energy demands in the US and endorses Barack Obama.

Al the Physicist (Alan Scott) from the University of Wisconsin provides the most detailed (and longest) video we have received yet. Guess who he endorses?

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Presidential Forum on Energy Tonight! (Live webcast from Stanford)

Tue, 21 Oct 2008 16:14:58 -0500

SEA is holding a Presidential forum with representatives from the Obama and McCain campaigns duking it out on energy issues. Kurt Yeager, cochair of the McCain California Energy Security Coalition will square off with Dan Kammen, Senior Advisor on Energy & Environmental Policy for Barack Obama. If you are in the Stanford area, you can see it live at 6:30PT, Kresge Auditorium at Stanford University. If not, you can still see it live via webcast HERE.

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A Vote For Science

Does the US need a Culture Czar?

Obama to undo Bush anti-science policies

Results for State Ballot Measures on Science

Happy Election Day! GO VOTE!

Our First AVoteForScience Couple!

Massive number of OpEds endorsing Obama because of policies on science

Nobel Laureate, Murray Gell-Mann endorses Obama

76 Nobel Laureates in Science Endorse Obama!

More AVoteForScience videos!

Enshrining homophobia in California, Arizona and Florida

Kiki Sanford endorses Barack Obama

Physicist Larry Jackel discusses loss of innovation in US and endorses Obama

Latest AVoteForScience video

Even more AVoteForScience YouTube videos

Presidential Forum on Energy Tonight! (Live webcast from Stanford)