Palin-esque earmarks you can love
A lot of science is funded through earmarks, so we should be careful what we wish for when it comes to reforming government.Posted on September 12, 2008 3:16 PM • 6 Comments •
The Island of Doubt
An irregular exploration of the struggle between the power of rational discourse and the scientific method on one hand, and the forces of superstition and dogma on the other.
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Profile
James Hrynyshyn is a freelance science journalist based in western North Carolina, where he tries to put degrees in marine biology and journalism to good use.
Recent Posts
- In praise of planetariums (and Laser Floyd)
- Why can't American scientists be like this?
- Ejaculation, sinus relief and "two excellent reasons for publishing loopy papers"
- Global warming and whale song
- The Queen of Clean Energy
- All you ever wanted to know about the Global Carbon Budget but were afraid to ask
- Science is irrelevant, say Brit students
- Polar bears in scientific tug of war
- Sarah Palin on, you know, the molecules!
- New climate target: Negative emissions growth
Recent Comments
- Mike Haubrich, FCD on In praise of planetariums (and Laser Floyd)
- paulm on In praise of planetariums (and Laser Floyd)
- metapsyche on In praise of planetariums (and Laser Floyd)
- metapsyche on In praise of planetariums (and Laser Floyd)
- Elf Eye on In praise of planetariums (and Laser Floyd)
- Glendon Mellow on Why can't American scientists be like this?
- paulm on Why can't American scientists be like this?
- paulm on Why can't American scientists be like this?
- crf on Why can't American scientists be like this?
- paulm on Why can't American scientists be like this?
for 9 July 2007
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Other Doubtful Blogs
- Panda's Thumb
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Inspiration
The Demon-Haunted World:
Science as a Candle
in the Dark,
by Carl Sagan
(A
review)
The Doubter's Companion:
by John Ralston Saul (Excerpts)
Skeptic Magazine: www.skeptic.com
Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal: www.csicop.org
A poem by Yehuda Amichai:
The
Place
Where We Are Right
The Meaning of the
Island of Doubt
Author's site: cyamid.net
--- H. L. Mencken
By doubting we come to inquiry; and through inquiry we perceive truth.
--- Peter Abelard
Undisguised clarity is easily mistaken for arrogance.
-- Richard Dawkins
As for evolution, it happened. Deal with it.
-- Michael Shermer.
ecology:
Should we be eating tuna?
The most important factor to consider is that bluefin tuna populations aren't doing particularly well.Posted on February 21, 2008 9:50 AM • 6 Comments •
The trouble with Los Angeles
Jon Gertner's feature in the current Sunday New York Times magazine is a timely reminder of 1) why the Nobel Committee is giving peace prizes to environmentalists and climatologists, and 2) why (as if we needed another reason) Bjorn Lomborg...Posted on October 22, 2007 7:44 AM • 12 Comments •
Getting rid an environmental scourge: unwanted catalogs
I've just come across a wonderful concept thanks to Grist. I have no idea if it will work, but it seems worth trying: Run by the Natural Resources Defense Council, National Wildlife Federation, and the Ecology Center, Catalog Choice can,...Posted on October 21, 2007 11:46 AM • 0 Comments •
Requiem for the polar bear
If sea ice decline follows the minimum trajectory predicted, extirpation in this ecoregion could occur by year 45.Posted on September 10, 2007 7:59 AM • 0 Comments •
A river runs through this compromise
The South Nahanni River defies description. It is one of the most spectacular lengths of runnable river in the world. It lies in the southwestern corner of Canada's Northwest Territories and offers one of the more accessible wilderness adventures in...Posted on August 9, 2007 12:43 PM • 0 Comments •
I'm not a vegetarian, but ....
Among the most common questions that follow my presentations of Al Gore's climate change slide show is "What about vegetarianism?" I usually respond that eating less meat will probably be a consequence of climate change, due to the enormous water...Posted on July 25, 2007 8:05 AM • 7 Comments •
Another hatchet job on the G-man
Leading fisheries expert Daniel Pauly likes to say that almost all this so-called "Chilean sea bass" is fenced. But in this case, it looks like the supplier went the extra kilometre.Posted on July 19, 2007 3:04 PM • 3 Comments •
Boycott Florida
In response to the news that the US Fish and Wildlife Service is even thinking about downlisting the Florida manatee from "endangered" to "threatened," I make this modest proposal: boycott Florida....Posted on April 11, 2007 8:45 AM • 3 Comments •
Pretending to know what you're talking about
Remember Chrissy Hynde? Maybe if you're old enough to have some Pretenders CDs in your collection. Otherwise, probably not. But she has enough name recognition to convince the editors of Canada's Globe and Mail newspaper to let her weigh in...Posted on April 4, 2007 9:28 AM • 10 Comments •
This could prove very very important
Marine biologists have discovered that there's a lot more life in the ocean that can turn sunlight into fuel than anyone thought. The authors of the paper in which the finding appears don't come out and say it in their...Posted on March 14, 2007 6:57 AM • 2 Comments •
Polar Bear Day
The good people at the Center for Biological Diversity have declared today "Polar Bear Day." It's not that big a stretch, since a bunch of science-types have declared 2007 the International Polar Year. So what the heck? Help save the...Posted on February 27, 2007 10:31 AM • 1 Comments •
Two words: Exxon Valdez
A study just published in the journal Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management concludes that the Prince William Sound ecosystem has fully recovered 17 years after the Exxon Valdez struck a reef and lost 11 million gallons of crude to the...Posted on July 13, 2006 10:21 AM • 3 Comments •
Top 100 Things Ecologists Don't Know
The Journal of Applied Ecology has just published a list of the Top 100 unanswered questions in the field. It was assembled for the benefit of UK ecologists, but most of the items deal with issues of global interest. If...Posted on June 9, 2006 1:30 PM • 2 Comments •
