Scientists Defend Merit in Science

 Scientists Defend Merit in Science

For first time, scientists organize to push back against identity politics

https://indefenseofmerit.org

Why was the paper published in the Journal of Controversial Ideas?
As the Wall Street Journal op-ed explains, the authors attempted to publish their paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) as a counterpoint to several perspectives the journal had published. They were advised to remove the word “merit” from the title because, according to the journal’s editorial board, “This concept of merit, as the authors surely know, has been widely and legitimately attacked as hollow….” This prompted the authors to explain in the paper, “not only is meritocracy in science a controversial idea, in some circles the very existence of merit as a concept is questioned.” “Ultimately,” says Krylov, “PNAS rejected the paper on grounds that appeared to be largely ideological.”

The question relevant for the blog is has the ideas of merit also been compromised at the labs?

Russia sees nuclear escalation

 Russia says risk of 'nuclear escalation' with US is 'steadily growing' as Biden's aid to Ukraine increases

https://humanevents.com/2023/04/25/russia-says-risk-of-nuclear-escalation-with-us-is-steadily-growing-as-bidens-aid-to-ukraine-increases?utm_campaign=64483

The Russian foreign ministry's head of nuclear non-proliferation, Vladimir Yermakov, said that if the US doesn't back off, the Kremlin could do away with the Treaty Between the United States of America and the Russian Federation on Measures for the Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms, better known as the New START Treaty, which limits the number of deployed strategic nuclear warheads both nations can have at any given time.

China's artificial sun

 China's "artificial sun" has reached a new milestone...

https://www.newsweek.com/china-artificial-sun-smashes-nuclear-fusion-rpecord-1794706?amp=1

Lawlessness without borders

 Lawlessness Across the Country including the Tri-Valley

Crowd takes over street, loots gas station in Compton

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=GWNiEKH7gj8&pp=ygU9SHVnZSBtb2IgcmFuc2Fja3MgQ2FsaWZvcm5pYSBnYXMgc3RhdGlvbjsgcG9saWNlICdvdXRudW1iZXJlZA%3D%3D

After teens cause chaos, Chicago mayor-elect Johnson says ‘Not constructive to demonize youth

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxL-aUeNmJc&pp=ygUSY2hpY2FnbyByaW90cyAyMDIz


1 hurt in shooting at Pleasanton Home Depot

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_VNksdRJXQ&pp=ygUVb2tlYXNhbnRvbiBobW9lIGRlcG90

Women in job market

Women still don't get the top jobs or pay even in industries they dominate

https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2023/03/14/gender-pay-gap-women-congress/11447848002/

The April 4 post in the Santa Fe New Mexican makes me fear for society.

 The April 4 post in the Santa Fe New Mexican makes me fear for society.

The dumbest people in all of New Mexico are out in force. Greg Mello, Khal Spencer, Erich Kueshner, and Chris Mechels. It is the special Olympics of Northern New Mexico. Maybe this is some crescendo of stupidity like a moth into into flame.

Greg

"the technical people who work for LANL are not actually adding value to the local economy. They do not produce goods and services in the civilian economy from their day jobs"

Economics is not your strong point Greg, try some supply and demand curves at the Santa Fe community college.


Erich Kuerschner

“I'll never understand quotes like this.”
I’ll give it a go. You are not alone. There seems to be a widespread confusion between real wealth, "

Ok I take everything back about what I said about Greg Mello, he is litertially an economics Ph.D compared to Erich. I am not sure what to say about Erich but I am convinced if there is some hell for economists, it would have Erich the welcome guy. In some ways Erich is valuable, just take everything he says and invert it and you might have some idea how modern economics works.

Chris Mechels.

"I retired from LANL in 1994, Its a matter of ethics, and that's personal. I quit. "

Hmm, I thought there was RIF at LANL in 1994 in which the bottom of the barrel got fired or knew they would get fired? Mechels is, well Mechels and is how should we say, sometimes your role in life is to serve as example to others. Thousands of LANL people now know what can happen if it all goes wrong. I think they even have poster with Mechels on it as an inspiration of what not to be.

Khal Spencer

"In a nuclear armed world, I don't want to be in the only nation that can't build one. Build them until the world realizes there must be a better way to keep the peace than pointing nuclear weapons at each other."

I would like buy the world a coke and live in harmony. Was going to college a really good idea for everyone?

About Gregg Mello

 

'I think it was Greg Mello who asked an interesting question once. If all the PE's and EE's and ME's and Ph.D.'s and M.S.'s were not up working on the Dark Side, would they be working on peaceful projects to the betterment of the local community?"

Oh, well we already know that answer to that. They go to Wall Street, work for hedge funds, go to work of NSA, CIA, Tesla, Microsoft, LLNL, startups,Facebook, Space X, or TickTock.

Greg Mello has lived far far to long in New Mexico.

'Stop making nuclear weapons'

 Stop making nuclear weapons': Activists press federal chief on LANL pit push

https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/stop-making-nuclear-weapons-activists-press-federal-chief-on-lanl-pit-push/article_e3621458-d231-11ed-8300-672cb34049a4.html

He questioned the established timeline of producing 30 pits by 2026.

“This rushing, this ramping up — I know these schedules are something you’ve inherited,” Mello said. “But somebody has to say, ‘Slow down.’ We don’t want to be shutting down the facilities — as it’s happened here — for years.”

LLNL's in Memoriam

 Has the “LLNL In Memoriam” weblink been cancelled?

China superiority

 China is on a trajectory to achieve military superiority over the United States by midcentury, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley warned members of Congress on March 29

Of particular concern is China’s nuclear development program, Milley said, holding that there is little the United States could do to “stop, slow down, disrupt, interdict, or destroy” it.

Milley’s unease echoed that of U.S. Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall, who told Congress on Tuesday that China’s expansion of its nuclear force was the most “disturbing” military threat he’d seen in his half-century career.

For months, the Pentagon has been sounding the alarm over China’s nuclear moves, warning in December that the country was on pace to quadruple its number of nuclear warheads to 1,500 by 2035.