The science and research fields are alarmed by President Donald Trump's anti-science policies.  The White House would argue that it is pushing for  gold-standard science . What is that? The administration released their  MAHA Report , injecting politics into science. And in a “Gold Standard Science” executive order last week, President Donald Trump outlined a new level of oversight over what counts as quality evidence and what does not, putting “a senior appointee designated by the agency head” in charge of overseeing “alleged violations.” Michael Kratsios, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, said in a briefing that the goal of the executive order is to “rebuild the American people’s confidence in the national science enterprise … the status quo of our research enterprise has brought diminishing returns, wasted resources and public distrust.” A petition led by the advocacy group Stand Up for Science with more than 5,000 signatories says th...

 Two years ago, the  BBC said Japan was the future,  but it's now stuck in the past.  I agree. Among the detractions is ownership of real estate.  You buy a home, and after paying off your mortgage in, say, 40 years, it is worth almost nothing. Japan recently had the third-largest economy, is a peaceful and prosperous country with the longest life expectancy in the world, the lowest murder rate, little political conflict, a powerful passport, and the sublime Shinkansen, the world's best high-speed rail network.  Actually, about GDP and the economy, Germany has slipped past Japan into #3, with India in the next few months easing by Japan. When the author of this article, Rupert Wingield-Hayes, first arrived in Tokyo in 1993, a third of a century ago, he was effusive about the country being exquisitely clean and orderly.  Actually still is. But he noted that Hong Kong was an assault on senses and Taipei had horrible air pollution. He could have said...

Before NIMBY, a few notes: The debate yesterday between JD Vance and Tim Walz was a TIE .  CNN showed that Walz's favorability rating went from 46% to 59%, while Vance's improved from 30% to 41%. Recent Veep debates have been mixed. Here is a  list of the three best and worst Veep partners in recent history .  The absolutely worst was probably Sarah Palin in 2008.   GOP nominee John McCain wanted to pick his longtime colleague Senator Joe Lieberman, but instead impulsively chose little-known Palin, who became a Saturday Night Live hit.   One reason is that Tina Fey played such a terrific Sarah Palin . Worse, Palin gave a series of disastrous interviews. About her debate against Joe Biden, she lost, but kind of redeemed herself for her "folksy grit."   Some reviewers went so far as calling it a draw.   This is something you don't want to do, but if you are a masochist,  watch the entire 1.5 hour debate .  In 2008, Biden already ...