sheril | November 10, 2008
With that simple "we" in millions of in-boxes, the post-baby-boomer era seems to have begun. The endless "us versus them" battles of the '60s, over Vietnam, abortion, race and gender, at least for a moment last week, seemed as out-of-touch as a rotary phone.
These young voters and those slightly older, who together may forever be known as Generation O, were the ground troops of the campaign. They opened hundreds of Obama offices in remote areas, registered voters and persuaded older relatives to take a chance on the man with the middle name Hussein.
They saw in Mr. Obama, 47, who was born at…
sheril | November 9, 2008A few readers emailed about the rumors surrounding a supposed Wonder Woman movie. Yes, I heard about Megan Fox, but it's not true, with no word on when or even whether the film will happen.
Thanks to those who remembered I'm holding onto hope that we'll see a strong, independent female role model/superhero make her way to the big screen soon. In the mean time, there will be an animated DVD out next year:
cmooney | November 8, 2008Like everybody else, I'm pretty surprised about Hurricane Paloma, which has just become the fifth major hurricane this year--a powerful Category 4 and tied for the second strongest storm ever to show up in the Atlantic in the month of November.
And Paloma sets an even bigger record, because this is the first year we've ever had an intense hurricane--Category 3 or greater--in July, in August, in September, in October, and in November. That's right, you can see it all here. As usual, this is consistent with, but no proof of, the idea that global warming is lengthening the Atlantic hurricane…
sheril | November 8, 2008Some of my favorite friends are in the habit of naming puppies after places in Australia. Readers already met Chris' Boston Terrier Sydney, and this weekend I'm watching Tasmania. Don't let those calm eyes deceive you, this fellow has at least as much energy as his talented, adventuresome mom:
cmooney | November 7, 2008This morning at 11 ET, I'm going to be on this program with Tom Ashbrook:
Remembering Michael Crichton, from "The Andromeda Strain" to"Jurassic Park," "ER," and "State of Fear." We'll look at the blockbuster master's long reach.
Guests:
Lev Grossman, book critic for TIME magazine.
Lynn Nesbit, Michael Crichton's literary agent. She signed him in 1965 while he was still a medical student.
Chris Mooney, journalist and author of "Storm World: Hurricanes, Politics, and the Battle Over Global Warming" and "The Republican War on Science."
Tune in if you're interested.....
sheril | November 7, 2008'Your victory has demonstrated that no person anywhere in the world should not dare to dream of wanting to change the world for a better place.'
- Nelson Mandela in a letter to Barack Obama
We now have the opportunity to restore America's reputation. Let it be.
sheril | November 6, 2008The boys at Deep Sea News are hosting Carnival of the Blue this month:
This 18th edition of the Carnival of the Blue is one mixed with awe and pessimism, yet optimistic for the beginning of a new political era in the United States. Keep in mind these posts were written prior to the November 4th election. The future editions of the Carnival of the Blue will be very interesting to watch. With the new political landscape will optimism reign supreme? Will there be more blog coverage on proposed solutions to problems pertaining to our ocean's health? More analysis of an administration's plans to…
sheril | November 6, 2008The week, the NYTimes interviewed conservation biologist Stuart Pimm--or 'Indy Pimm' as I like to call him--who works to save endangered species and places around the world from tracking elephants in South Africa to restoring Florida's Everglades. He holds the Doris Duke professorship of Conservation Ecology at Duke University and won the Heineken Prize for Environmental Sciences in 2006 aka 'the Nobel of the ecology world'.
But what's most extraordinary about Stuart is that he's doing real conservation that matters. Beyond studying population structure and movement, Pimm's planetary family…
sheril | November 6, 2008Representative Rahm Emanuel of Illinois, the fourth-ranking House Democrat and a close friend of Mr. Obama's from Chicago, has been offered the job of chief of staff, and although he was said to be concerned about the effects on his family and giving up his influential role on Capitol Hill, many Democrats said they expected him to accept it. Mr. Obama named John D. Podesta, the former Clinton White House chief of staff, to lead his transition team along with Valerie Jarrett, a longtime adviser, and Pete Rouse, his Senate chief of staff.
Read on at NYTimes...
sheril | November 5, 2008Obama unoffical winner in North Carolina
Democrat Barack Obama is the unofficial winner in North Carolina, but the victory over Sen. John McCain won't be sealed until provisional ballots are counted and certified next month.
Unofficial returns show Obama ahead by 13,746 votes.
Trends over the last 14 years point to Obama having a wider lead after the provisionals are counted, said Gary Bartlett, executive director of the State Board of Elections.
Let 'the new south rise'...
cmooney | November 5, 2008
Wow...I have written lots of critical things about Crichton, but I also stand a bit in awe of the massive influence he has had on the image of science in our culture. I only met him once, and he seemed a very kind, humble man in person. Not to mention overpoweringly gigantic--I believe he was something like 6'9". Obviously his anti-global warming novel, State of Fear, was wildly controversial (to say the least), but his legacy is far bigger than this one late in life work, and whatever else you say, one has to respect and acknowledge his cultural impact.
How do people think we should define…
sheril | November 5, 2008On the dawn of what some anticipate will be a new golden age for American science, we must remember the challenges ahead for President Obama. Times of change bring enormous possibilities, and in our latest post at Talking Science, we discuss opportunities in the next Administration:
President Obama cannot save science alone. He needs an army of people behind him with the resolve to realize the change that they've already dared to dream. This requires a sustained lobbying effort, not just put forth by science community, but coming from concerned citizens across America who understand that our…
cmooney | November 5, 2008My post-election Science Progress column--written after I woke up super early and felt the effect of all the champagne--is now up. You can guess the gist, so I'll just give you the punch line and you can follow the link for details:
Despite many challenges ahead, it's clearly a new day for science in Washington, and there are strong grounds for feeling optimistic. For scientists who so struggled under George W. Bush, there's a very real sense that the clouds are parting. Now, we await a still-clearer signal of how president Obama will govern science--his pick of a presidential science adviser…
sheril | November 5, 2008"This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations. But one that's on my mind tonight's about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. She's a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election except for one thing: Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old.
She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldn't vote for two reasons -- because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin.And tonight, I think about all that she's seen…
sheril | November 4, 2008
Memo to Mrs. Dole: Those dishonest negative campaign tactics fooled no one.
sheril | November 4, 2008by David Lowry
From the battleground state of North Carolina, I am receiving text messages and phone calls urging me to vote about every half hour. Something special is brewing here, you can taste it in the damp air as the peak fall color of red and yellow leaves negates the need for sunshine.
From the day Obama blew out Hillary in the NC primary and lifted a PBR to the sky in downtown Raleigh, I knew something special was about to occur.
North Carolina is the state where the civil war ended (in Durham, look it up) resulting in the birth of the cigarette onto the world stage. It is the…
sheril | November 4, 2008fivethrirtyeight.com: Obama 349, McCain 189
NYTimes: Obama 291, McCain 163, 84 tossup
CNN: Obama 291, McCain 157, 90 tossup
Readers projections invited......
sheril | November 4, 2008From the New York Times:
President Bush's aides have been scrambling to change rules and regulations on the environment, civil liberties and abortion rights, among others -- few for the good. Most presidents put on a last-minute policy stamp, but in Mr. Bush's case it is more like a wrecking ball. We fear it could take months, or years, for the next president to identify and then undo all of the damage.
In other words, regardless of the results tonight, stay vigilant.