Chemist resigns over doctored data

Discussion in 'Chemistry' started by sandy, Sep 21, 2009.

  1. spidergoat pubic diorama Valued Senior Member

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    Technology is the key to a better economy, but we don't have to choose one or the other. I think we could do without many of our manned space missions...
     
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  3. sandy Banned Banned

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  5. Nasor Valued Senior Member

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    The US government spends around $130 billion/year on research and development. NASA's entire budget is only about $18 billion/year, and of that only about $10 billion goes toward manned space missions. Even if we eliminated manned space missions entirely, the amount of money that it would free up would be relatively small compared to how much the government is already spending on R&D.
     
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  7. sandy Banned Banned

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    So if the admin was trying to cut costs, what would be your recommendation?
     
  8. Nasor Valued Senior Member

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    That's easy - the military budget. We spend around $500 billion/year on our military, FAR more than anyone else in the world and more even than all our enemies put together.
     
  9. sandy Banned Banned

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    What part(s) would you cut out?
     
  10. Nasor Valued Senior Member

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    Off the top of my head, I don't know. But we're spending something like six times as much as all our plausible potential enemies put together. Surely we could only spend, say, four times as much as all our enemies put together and still be safe.
     
  11. dixonmassey Valued Senior Member

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    The biggest sin of modern scientists is not straightforward doctoring of data (there is plenty of that, no doubt), the biggest, most appalling, environmentally unfriendly sin is publishing 10 papers backed with 2 patents based on a modest (or outright lame) data set (or brain vomit) when a single 2 page max paper would describe all the "breakthroughs". Using used car sales techniques, hyping up & bullshitting top doctoring by far.
     
  12. dixonmassey Valued Senior Member

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    No need to cut out. USA should honor non-proliferation treaty it signed, the very same treaty it tries to impose upon Iran which never signed it.

    Non-proliferation treaty in no uncertain terms promises that major nuclear powers will take all the steps necessary to destroy all their nuclear weapons in the "future". Guess what? Future is here. Russian nuclear forces are decimated. China has something like 20 ballistic missiles aimed at Russia to boot. Britain, France, India, Pakistan are nuclear midgets. It's time for nuclear gorilla USA to honor its word.
     
  13. sandy Banned Banned

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    What about Iran who was just busted for having yet another nuke site? What about how they lie and connive and NEVER obey sanctions?
    "Russian nuclear forces are decimated"?

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  14. Nasor Valued Senior Member

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    I think everyone would agree that's bad. But how is that relevant to the US not making any significant effort to live up to its treaty obligations?
    Uh...again, we all agree that's bad. Again, what is your point?
    Since the early 1990s Russia has been steadily dismantling its nuclear stockpile and has destroyed about 90% of its nuclear weapons. (Of course, even with 90% gone they still have thousands).
     
    Last edited: Sep 28, 2009
  15. sandy Banned Banned

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    I doubt Russia destroyed anything of value. I don't trust them, either.
     
  16. Nasor Valued Senior Member

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    Everyone agrees that Russia has dismantled about 90% of their stockpile.

    Whether it actually has anything to do with treaty obligations or it's just a matter of them realizing that they don't actually need 40,000 nukes and can probably get by with "only" a few thousand, who knows...
     
  17. Stryder Keeper of "good" ideas. Valued Senior Member

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    You neglect to take into consideration how much money is earned through the sale of newfangled weaponry related gadgets. While you'd cut the budget for $500 Billion, how much would be lost in revenue?
     
  18. sandy Banned Banned

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    Who is everyone? I still doubt it. Russia is not to be trusted.
     
  19. Nasor Valued Senior Member

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    Third party observers, blah blah blah. I really don't doubt it; why would Russia want to pay the expenses associated with maintaining 40+ thousand warheads and delivery systems when just a few thousand will do the job?
     
  20. sandy Banned Banned

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    Russia still has about 50% more nukes, missles, and bombs than we do. They have around 13,000 to our 9,000. Russia is NOT to be trusted.
     
  21. BenTheMan Dr. of Physics, Prof. of Love Valued Senior Member

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    So that they can keep separate stashes of weapons to ensure a retaliation? Don't keep all your eggs in one basket, right?
     
  22. Nasor Valued Senior Member

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    First off, it makes no sense to keep secret stashes of weapons around for nuclear retaliation - the entire point is to let people know you can retaliate, so they won't attack in the first place. It makes little sense to provoke a nuclear attack against your own country by feigning weakness.

    Second, you have the issue of how many nuke are really necessary to ensure retaliation. Russia has thousands of nuclear warheads and all sorts of delivery vehicles. I suspect that "only" a few thousand is waaay more than enough to ensure sufficient retaliation.
     
  23. Nasor Valued Senior Member

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    As of 2009, Russia has about 3900 and the US has about 5570 (according to the US state department, anyway).

    http://en.rian.ru/russia/20090602/155147413.html
     

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