[Rhodes22-list] Politics and Science a reply to Mike W

[Brad Haslett]

Mike,

On that note, I'm going to the hangar to get my blood pressure down and my
oxygen intake up!

Attached is a short story about what the lawyers are up to these days.  BTW,
you heard it here first!  Trent Lott's brother-in-law, one of the biggest
Katrina snakes, er, I mean lawyers, has been indicted on a judicial bribery
case. Did Lott really "retire" mid-term or duck for cover while there still
was some?  Stay tuned!

Brad

-----------------------

 Posted on Wed, Jan. 09, 2008
Katrina claims get a price tag: $3,014,170,389,176,410 THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

NEW ORLEANS -- Hurricane Katrina's victims have put a price tag on their
suffering: $3,014,170,389,176,410 and counting.

That quadrillion-dollar figure represents a fraction of the roughly 489,000
claims that residents and business owners filed against the federal
government over damage from the failure of levees and flood walls from the
hurricane.

The Army Corps of Engineers says it has received 247 claims for at least $1
billion apiece, including one for an even $3 quadrillion.

"That's the mother of all high numbers," said Loren Scott, a Baton Rouge
economist.

Someone in Baker, 93 miles northwest of New Orleans, filed the claim that
inflated the total from the trillions into the quadrillions. Baker is far
from the epicenter of Katrina's destruction, but the city has a trailer park
where hundreds of evacuees have lived since the storm.

For the sake of perspective: a mere $1 quadrillion would dwarf the U.S.
gross domestic product, which Scott said was $13.2 trillion in 2007, while a
stack of 1 quadrillion pennies would reach Saturn.

Some residents may have grossly exaggerated their claims to send a message
to the corps, which has accepted blame for poorly designing the failed
levees.

"I understand the anger," Scott said. "I also understand it's a negotiating
tactic: Aim high and negotiate down."

Lawyers have advised clients not to skimp in estimating their losses from
Katrina, because the amounts listed on their claims forms can limit how much
they recover.

Daniel Becnel, Jr., a lawyer who said his clients have filed more than
60,000 claims, said measuring Katrina's devastation in dollars and cents is
a nearly impossible task.

"There's no way on earth you can figure it out," he said. "The trauma these
people have undergone is unlike anything that has occurred in the history of
our country."

The Corps released zip codes, but no names, for the 247 claims of at least
$1 billion. The list includes a $77 billion claim by the city of New
Orleans. Fourteen involve a wrongful death claim. Fifteen were filed by
businesses, including several insurance companies.

Katrina, which is blamed for more than 1,600 deaths in Louisiana and
Mississippi, is considered the most destructive storm to ever hit the U.S.
It caused at least $60 billion in insured losses and could cost Gulf Coast
states up to $125 billion, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration.

Most of the claims were filed before a deadline that coincided with
Katrina's second anniversary, but the Corps is still receiving them - about
100 claims have arrived over the past three weeks - and is feeding them into
a computer database.

The Corps says it isn't passing judgment on the merits of each claim. The
federal courts are in charge of deciding if a claim is valid and how much
compensation is warranted.


On Jan 12, 2008 9:26 AM, Michael D. Weisner <mweisner at ebsmed.com> wrote:

> Brad,
>
> You know, for a guy who has been deprived of proper oxygenation most of
> the
> time, at least that in which you are at altitude, your thought processes
> are
> remarkably keen.  It is a lousy way to get a bill defeated.  Maybe we need
> to rethink the real problem - all them lawyers looking to pay for their
> jumbo mortgages!
>
> Mike
> s/v Shanghai'd Summer ('81)
> Nissequogue River, NY
>
> From: "Brad Haslett" <flybrad at gmail.com> Saturday, January 12, 2008 10:16
> AM
> > Ed,
> >
> > I'll pass on oxygen debates.  My only choice is between "demand" and
> > "100%".  But, since we are talking about oxygen, here's someone that
> needs
> > to be deprived of it!
> >
> > Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J.
> >
> > Bush was forced to use a pocket-veto during the current Congressional
> > recess
> > in an attempt to overcome a provision in the Defense spending bill that
> > was
> > slipped in by Lautenberg.  The immediate downside is that Armed Forces
> > recruiters cannot offer bonuses and until this is settled,
> re-enlistments
> > can't receive bonuses either. The Lautenberg provision would have
> allowed
> > Americans to sue in American courts for issues they "suffered" under the
> > Saddam regime.  I'd say hanging the bastard would be justice enough.
>  What
> > it would really do is allow the new Iraqi government's money in overseas
> > banks to be tied up until all the litigation is settled.  The provision
> > does
> > two things - cuts off funding for Iraq to re-arm itself and the
> resulting
> > veto makes it more difficult for the US Services to man itself. In a
> > nutshell, it is a poison pill designed for the anti-war crowd.
> >
> > Thanks Frank, you're a real patriot!
> >
> > Brad
> >
> > On Jan 12, 2008 8:55 AM, Tootle <ekroposki at charter.net> wrote:
> >
> >>
> >> Mike:
> >>
> >> Now that you have some good experience under your belt, how about
> running
> >> for public office?
> >>
> >> When you asked the question, tongue in cheek, "To save 10% across the
> >> board,
> >> we could reduce
> >> oxygen usage by 10% when treating patients requiring O2 therapy,
> placing
> >> patients on 90% instead of 100% oxygen."  Unfortunately you are now
> >> critical
> >> of a valid question.  A pulmonary doctor should be asked what is the
> >> optimum
> >> % for this patient.  Only a penny?  If it beyond what is necessary to
> >> achieve results, why be wasting resources?
> >>
> >> Therefore, I disagree with your point of view, it was a valid question
> in
> >> all instances.  Just as often the minimal maintenance level of 2L is
> not
> >> adequate for a particular patient.  It resides in area of education,
> >> experience and good judgement.
> >>
> >> Maybe the best dose of O2 is received in a cockpit of a sailboat in a
> >> breeze?
> >>
> >> Ed K
> >> Greenville, SC, USA
> >> "Modern research ... Ah, the sound of a million monkeys typing (on
> their
> >> PCs?) ..."  Michael D. Weisner
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> R22MikeW wrote:
> >> >
> >> > Ron,
> >> >
> >> > Unfortunately, research funding cuts continue to be made by folks who
> >> > really
> >> > have no idea what they are doing.  In the mid 80s I entered industry
> as
> >> a
> >> > result of a similar instability in medical research and high energy
> >> > physics
> >> > funding cuts (can you say Reagan and Brookhaven?)  Most of us
> scattered
> >> > fairly quickly as the paycuts (10% at first) and layoffs began to
> >> threaten
> >> > the security of our growing families.  Every postdoc was approached
> by
> >> > industry and most of us found new "homes" within months.
> >> >
> >> > The attitude of the bean counters seem to be that research funding is
> a
> >> > luxury.  It can therefore be cut without great loss.  One
> administrator
> >> > who
> >> > had to cut 10% out of his budget at the last minute, thought hard and
> >> long
> >> > when I offered, jokingly, "To save 10% across the board, we could
> >> > reduce
> >> > oxygen usage by 10% when treating patients requiring O2 therapy,
> >> > placing
> >> > patients on 90% instead of 100% oxygen."  He was so intrigued with
> the
> >> > idea
> >> > that he asked for a full justification why some patients had been on
> >> 100%
> >> > oxygen in the first place.  Peter principle at work ...
> >> >
> >> > I hope your funding is restored - call Obama and ask him why IL was
> not
> >> > represented properly.
> >> >
> >> > Modern research ... Ah, the sound of a million monkeys typing (on
> their
> >> > PCs?) ...
> >> >
> >> > Mike
> >> > s/v Shanghaid'd Summer ('81)
> >> >        Nissequogue River, NY
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > From: "Ronald Lipton" <rlipton at earthlink.net> Saturday, January 12,
> >> > 2008
> >> > 12:17 AM
> >> >> 2008 was supposed to be a good year for science in the US.  A study
> >> >> by the National Academies had made a strong argument that basic
> >> >> research is vital to the economic health of the US.  That resulted
> in
> >> >> a
> >> >> bipartisan agreement to increase funding for the physical sciences.
> >> >> Budgets were increased for the NSF and DOE Office of Science in
> >> >> the appropriations bills passed by the House and Senate.  Last
> summer
> >> >> these bills were vetoed by the president as "budget busters".  The
> >> >> government
> >> >> operated on a continuing resolution until the end of last year when
> >> >> the Omnibus bill was passed.
> >> >>
> >> >> This bill reduced overall funding for Science by $1 billion below
> the
> >> >> level agreed last summer.  The cuts in Particle Physics and at
> >> >> Fermilab, where I work were particularly devastating.  All funding
> >> >> for a new experiment to measure the properties of neutrinos was
> >> >> cut.  R&D funds for the next generation particle accelerator, the
> ILC,
> >> >> which was intended to regain leadership in the field in the next
> >> >> decade
> >> >> from
> >> >> a new machine in Europe scheduled to start up next year, were cut to
> >> 1/4
> >> >> the level expected.  Since the budget was passed 1/4 of the way
> >> >> through
> >> >> the year all of this money has been already been spent.
> >> >>
> >> >> As a result all work on the projects which would have been the
> future
> >> of
> >> >> the
> >> >> field in the US have to stop.  At Fermilab 170 people were working
> on
> >> >> these projects and will be reassigned and 200 layoffs are planned.
>  At
> >> >> Stanford Linear Accelerator Center 125 people will be laid off.  The
> >> >> Fermilab
> >> >> budget was $52M below the budget initially passed by Congress. Those
> >> >> of
> >> >> us who survive will be asked to take 2-3 days/month of unpaid
> >> >> furlough.
> >> >>
> >> >> The cuts were a result of a last minute flurry of adjustments to
> bring
> >> >> the
> >> >> budget below the limit set by President Bush for veto.  Fermilab was
> >> >> hit particularly hard because Dennis Hastert, former speaker of the
> >> >> house,
> >> >> had resigned a month earlier and none of the Illinois delegation was
> >> >> watching the store.  The cuts were not the result of any plan as far
> >> >> as
> >> >> I can tell, just a random cut in the final weekend of preparation of
> >> the
> >> >> Omnibus bill. US commitment to ITER, a demonstration fusion reactor
> >> >> to be built in France was also cut to zero in spite of international
> >> >> funding
> >> >> agreements that took decades to negotiate.
> >> >>
> >> >> This is the sort of thing that can't easily be recovered from.  The
> >> >> accelerator
> >> >> group at Stanford, the best in the world, will be fragmented.
>  People
> >> >> will be
> >> >> laid off and leave the field.  Bright students will go elsewhere.
>  The
> >> >> international
> >> >> community will get yet more evidence that the US is not a reliable
> >> >> partner.
> >> >>
> >> >> I had been working on detectors for the ILC.  We had a program
> >> >> that led the field in the development of advanced silicon detectors
> >> >> and
> >> >> electronics. Because we do R&D much of our work with US companies
> >> >> funds
> >> >> beyond state-of-the art work too risky for immediate commercial
> >> >> applications but which
> >> >> lay the technical base for the future.  We we strongly involved in
> 3D
> >> >> electronics,
> >> >> where ~10 micron thick layers of circuit are stacked vertially,
> >> >> increasing the
> >> >> density of electronics without decreasing the transistor size.
> >> >> We may be able to continue, but certainly at
> >> >> a reduced level. Our group of IC design engineers, one of the best
> >> >> such
> >> >> groups
> >> >> in the world, will likely fragment, and much of the R&D will be
> >> >> delayed
> >> >> or
> >> >> narrowed.
> >> >>
> >> >> This was not due to on party or another, but our government has
> become
> >> >> increasingly
> >> >> dysfunctional.   As by far the richest country in the world we could
> >> >> afford to be inefficient,
> >> >> but we have real challenges now.  Killing the future of a field of
> >> >> science that, aside
> >> >> from enormous scientific and intellectual contributions, has
> generated
> >> >> technologies such
> >> >> as medical imaging, fast electronic logic, practical superconducting
> >> >> magnets for MRI,
> >> >> and the world wide web protocols, essentially by accident, is one
> >> >> example of that
> >> >> dysfunction that hits close to (my) home.
> >> >>
> >> >>
> >> >>
> >> >> Ron
> >> >> __________________________________________________
> >> >> Use Rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org, Help? www.rhodes22.org/list
> >> >>
> >> >>
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > __________________________________________________
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> >> >
> >> >
> >>
> >> --
> >> View this message in context:
> >> http://www.nabble.com/Politics-and-Science-tp14770106p14774326.html
> >> Sent from the Rhodes 22 mailing list archive at Nabble.com.
> >>
> >> __________________________________________________
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> >>
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>
>
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