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Lamont Weekly Report – July 8, 2005

OFFICE OF THE DIRECTOR
P.O. Box 1000, 61 Route 9W Palisades, New York 10964

<> REPORT SUMMARY <>

– Letter from the Director –
____________________________________

<> LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR

The July 1st edition of Science magazine presents an intriguing "survey of our scientific ignorance" in the form of 25 major (and 100 additional) questions - questions that "scientists have a good shot at answering over the next 25 years". It is an attempt by the Editorial Board of Science to identify humankind's critical knowledge gaps. It is interesting reading. How does Earth's interior work? How hot will the greenhouse world be? How and where did life on earth arise? - all questions in the top 25 for which we feel some significant ownership here at Lamont. Other lesser questions however (e.g. How do general anesthetics work?) are hard to comprehend in the same context (You mean we don't know?).

I spent Thursday in Denver for the inaugural meeting of the Ocean Council - a newly formed leadership group tasked with overseeing, over the next 2-3 years, the successful merger of the two non-profit corporations in DC that work for, and represent, the ocean community - JOI and CORE. Given that this was the first meeting, this was a very successful. It is viewed as critical to get this new unified structure in place as the task of management of the various ocean observatory initiatives grows in breadth and complexity.

When I was an undergraduate at London University (too many moons ago) I used to ride the No 30 bus from Putney to South Kensington every morning. So it was particularly painful, yesterday morning, to see the pictures of a No 30 bus with its roof blown off. And to realize the dismaying inevitability that it will happen again. Solutions to this insanity do not lie in the implementation of increased security, or the exercise of military power. Neither approach a solution to the motivating factors. The image of an English policeman, who traditionally is unarmed, carrying a machine gun, is a sad and troubling motif for the perversities of this first decade of the 21st century.

But then, I philosophize too much…

They say it will stop raining tonight, so have a wonderful summer weekend. In the end being happy is all that counts - right Bruno?

– Mike

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