Issues in Science and Technology articles from March 1993

Issues in Science and Technology archives from March 1993

Where's the pork? (what constitutes an earmarked federal fund for research) (Perspectives)
March 22, 1993... The academic pork barrel just gets bigger and bigger. Since 1980, at least $2.5 billion in federal research spending has been "earmarked" for specially designated academic science projects that were not subjected to the peer or merit review...

Patient records in the information age. (Perspectives )
March 22, 1993... If you're out of town and need cash, an automatic teller machine can instantly determine if you have money in your account and let you withdraw what you need. If you apply for a loan, the lender can quickly get access to your credit history to...

Next steps in nuclear arms control.
March 22, 1993... After several decades of strenuous debate, protracted negotiations, and only incremental progress, nuclear arms control now seems almost too easy. Yet, despite the dramatic successes of the past two years--notably the withdrawals and radical cuts...

Slowing third world militarization.
March 22, 1993... The Cold War rivalry that shaped foreign policy and military programs for 40 years has ended. But as the military action in Iraq, the Yugoslavian civil war, and the turmoil in Somalia, Angola, and Cambodia demonstrate, the world of the future...

Coming to terms with the AIDS pandemic.
March 22, 1993... Faltering national and international programs must be reinforced to meet the growing crisis. More than a decade after acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) was recognized, the world has become ever more vulnerable to the pandemic....

How utilities can revitalize industry. (electric utilities) (Issues in Focus: Getting Down to Business)
March 22, 1993... By linking energy efficiency and economic competitiveness, utilities can help businesses lower operating costs and upgrade their technologies. During the first weeks of his presidency, Bill Clinton asserted that the nation's industries must...

Stop Superfund waste. (Issues in Focus: Getting Down to Business)
March 22, 1993... President Clinton's economic plan is a clear attempt to re-order federal spending priorities by putting more money into "investments" that will spur economic growth and increase national wealth, while cutting unproductive activities. One...

Halting the erosion of America's critical assets.
March 22, 1993... First, decide what's worth saving; then, create an agency with the power to do the job. The impending sale of LTV's missile and aircraft divisions caught the nation by surprise in the late spring of 1992. In bankruptcy since 1986, LTV found...

Rejoining the battle against noise pollution.
March 22, 1993... Congress should restore the Environmental Protection Agency's ability--eliminated a decade ago--to reduce excessive noise. Many citizens, especially urban dwellers, face a cacophony of loud noises in their residences, neighborhoods, workplaces,...

Visions Upon the Land: Man and Nature on the Western Range.
March 22, 1993... A friend of mine is writing a book about the past, present, and uncertain future of the American forests. It is not, he tells me, a happy task, for what he finds himself writing about, mainly, is death and dying. From the mixed mesophytic forests...

Last Animals at the Zoo: How Mass Extinctions Can Be Stopped.
March 22, 1993... This book presents a spirited defense of modern zoos, based on the assertion that their most important function is the breeding of endangered animals. To this end, the author examines in detail the present plight of animal life on Earth, the...

Head Start: The Inside Story of America's Most Successful Educational Experiment.
March 22, 1993... Head Start, launched in 1965 to help disadvantaged 4- and 5-year-olds succeed in school and beyond, is the Teflon social program. Although many social welfare schemes are regularly criticized, Head Start is almost universally regarded as...

Rubbish: The Archeology of Garbage.
March 22, 1993... For 20 years, researchers with the University of Arizona's Garbage Project sorted, catalogued, and analyzed America's rubbish--some 250,000 pounds of it, excavated from landfills and fresh from garbage cans in selected neighborhoods. In Rubbish,...

The Costs of Poor Health Habits.
March 22, 1993... The costs imposed on society by individuals' poor health habits are a major cause of government concern and are stimulating interest in the question of how government can discourage behavior that impairs health and shortens life. In The Costs of...