Scientists Stage Funerals To Protest Against Cuts — a New Trend? 263
ananyo writes "Physicists, chemists and mathematicians in the UK are campaigning against their chief public funder (EPSRC) over reforms that they say threaten blue-skies research, kicking off their protest by toting a coffin to the Prime Minister in Downing Street. The reforms are a response to declining budgets and political pressure to focus science on areas that will produce economic benefits for the UK. Last month, over 2000 Canadian scientists marched to Parliament Hill with a coffin to protest against the Harper government's cuts to basic research and scientific facilities, which they believe undermine the quality of scientific evidence in government. With budget cuts to science expected in the U.S., is it time for scientists in U.S. — and perhaps elsewhere — to think about getting their retaliation in first and ready their coffins?"
Re:Death of evidence (Score:4, Funny)
What?! You don't know what we got out of the moon landings? Seriously?
The moon landings were propaganda first and science second. They demonstrated the superiority of capitalism over communism, thereby helping to perpetuate the economic system you apparently love so. We also got a few nice scientific advancements out of the affair, sort of as a side bonus. Don't go laying the expense of all that on science.
Makes me sick how conservatives' vision has withered to nothing. What grand projects and great achievements would you conservatives have us do next? Apparently nothing at all, because that would make it harder to balance the budget. You whine that we can't afford it. You'd kill the James Webb telescope if you could, despite the huge contributions the Hubble has made to astronomy and physics. You did kill the Supercollider, and now look what happened. We did NOT discover the Higgs boson, the Europeans did. When you can be persuaded to open the vaults, do you do something noble and great? No, you prefer to stomp around the world and shoot up a bunch of Muslims, Africans, Asians, and maybe a few Latin Americans and Europeans, carrying on as if kicking the butts of a bunch of poorly armed terrorists and drilling a few more oil wells is the height of our aspirations. The only thing you seem to respect is force and money. Sure showed those Iraqis, didn't you? Do you understand how much money Iraq cost us? More than all the bailouts we've done in the past 5 years! Are the only past accomplishments of the US you can relate to the elimination of slavery in the Civil War, and victory in WWI and WWII because they were wars? What about the transatlantic cable and the telegraph and telephone system? The transcontinental railroad? The light bulb? Electrification of the entire nation? Refrigeration? Radio and TV broadcasting? The Interstate highway system? The Internet?
Pooh-poohing the moon landings, Jesus H. Christ!