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We can all vote with our feet ... literally :-) Regards Richard ----- Original Message ----- From: Stephen Henley To: [log in to unmask] Sent: Friday, February 24, 2006 1:40 PM Subject: Re: AAPG Journalism Award to Michael Crichton Indeed we should accept everyone's views - provided that they follow accepted scientific methods. There is no room in science even for the concept of 'heresy'. However, this does not mean that everybody's views should be weighted equally highly. The concept of 'equal time' is a crackpot's charter. It is what gives succour to the Intelligent Design and creationist militants. It is what gives an air of respectability to homeopathy. If people want to believe in fairies then that is their prerogative in a free society. But to try and make the rest of us believe in them using bogus science is dishonest because fairies, intelligent design, homeopathy, and climate-change-denial have no basis of scientific evidence and are indeed contradicted by overwhelming masses of such evidence. There is an increasing preponderance of evidence that humankind and its industrial revolution are having catastrophic effects on the earth's climates and ecosystems. Many in the energy industries and many in positions of political power are wilfully ignoring this for their own short-term advantage. Micahel Crichton's book is neither science nor journalism, but a very biased fictional account which presents the very opposite of the truth. Those with the vested interests and the power to enforce their own views are quite plainly NOT the environmentalists, but the energy industry and the politicians who support and are supported by it. The AAPG should be ashamed of itself. If I were a member I would now be resigning. Rant over (for now) Steve Henley ----- Original Message ----- From: " Francisco J. Martínez " <[log in to unmask]> To: <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Friday, February 24, 2006 1:08 PM Subject: Re: AAPG Journalism Award to Michael Crichton I agree with Zoe's arguments but I would like to add something. Would the AAPG rewarding to M. Crichton have raised so much criticism if he had fictionally supported the human induced global warming (HIGW) instead of the opposite ?. I would tend to think that part of the problem is that he is challenging a sacred believe for many. But we are scientists, aren't we ? and hence we should accept heretics... Otherwise stated is HIGW a proved, scientific fact or not ?. Cheers, Francisco Martinez El 24/02/2006, a las 13:13, Angelina Souren escribió: > Interesting discussion we are having here. > > For the record: Michael Crichton has a PhD. If I recall correctly, he did > a post-doc at the Salk Institute. > > I read the book, was also quite annoyed and disappointed by it. However, > it does draw attention to the sciences. > > Isn't the real problem here that too many so-called real scientists > feel - > perhaps more so in some countries where the gap between academia and > society > is still very wide - it's beneath them (or are too insecure, perhaps? > it's > not black-and-white) to want to communicate properly with the rest of the > world? And in normal language, too? > > Have a good one, > > Angelina Souren > > ----- Original Message ----- From: <[log in to unmask]> > To: <[log in to unmask]> > Sent: Friday, February 24, 2006 11:31 AM > Subject: Re: AAPG Journalism Award to Michael Crichton > > >> Since when has a novel been counted as journalism? I haven't read State >> of >> Fear, but if we are to believe everything that Crichton has ever written >> (some of which is pretty gripping), then we can make a T-rex from DNA in >> amber (Jurassic Park), the world is at risk from deadly crystalline >> organisms from space (the Andromeda Strain), nano-technology can make >> itself look like suburban wives and harm your children (Swarm) etc etc. >> Many novels are extensively researched and well written. That doesn't >> mean >> that I'd pick the writers of Star Trek to design the next space shuttle. >> Zoe >> >>> I received this mail and I found it very interesting. >>> What's happening in the AAPG? Maybe is so easy to understand, but the >>> Earth maybe needs (good?) geologists, not sold souls. >>> By the way, "State of Fear" by M. Crichton is an horrible novel.... >>> Giulio >>> >>> >>> >Subject: Fwd: AAPG and Michael Crichton >>> > >>> > >>> >Dear fellow scientists, >>> > >>> >The American Association of Petroleum Geologists is apparently >>> taking >>> >a stand against both good journalism and good science. AAPG has >>> >chosen to give its 2006 Journalism Award to Michael Crichton, >>> for his >>> >recent novel, "State of Fear." (1) >>> > >>> >Crichton will receive a plaque that reads, "For notable >>> journalistic >>> >achievement in communications contributing to public >>> understanding of >>> >geology."(2) Past recipients include John McPhee and Stephen J. >>> Gould.(3) >>> > >>> >If you're not familiar with "State of Fear," here's a synopsis: >>> Murderous >>> >environmentalists skulk around the globe faking natural >>> disasters, in >>> >order to dupe an unsuspecting public into believing that global >>> warming is >>> >a reality. The protagonist, an MIT grad, sets out to disprove >>> global >>> >warming and save the day. The story is peppered with cherry-picked >>> facts, >>> >figures, graphs, and citations, which point to the conclusion >>> that the >>> >scientific evidence regarding climate change is thin at best, at >>> worst >>> >a hoax. Crichton finishes with a (decidedly non-fictional) >>> appendix >>> >that compares global warming to the 19th century eugenics movement, >>> >and an "author's note" in which Crichton offers his own predictions >>> >about the likely magnitude of global warming over the next century, >>> >stating that >>> his >>> >guess is as good as any climate model prediction. >>> > >>> >I fail to see how Crichton's novel promotes public understanding of >>> >geology. On the contrary, if viewed as anything other than >>> fiction, >>> >"State of Fear" very clearly promotes misunderstanding of >>> science by >>> >cherry-picking facts and figures to present a picture that is a >>> severe >>> >distortion of reality (4). This cherry-picking of information is a >>> tactic >>> >commonly used for misrepresenting science, and never used to >>> promote >>> >genuine understanding. >>> > >>> >There is a clear and consistent scientific consensus on many >>> aspects >>> >of climate change. Any objective survey of the peer-reviewed >>> >literature will reveal this to be true.(5) I can only assume that >>> >AAPG is rewarding Crichton for casting that consensus in doubt, and >>> >for casting climate scientists as part of some evil conspiracy. So >>> >much for promoting public understanding of science. >>> > >>> >Those who defend Crichton's book remind us that it is a work of >>> >fiction. Indeed it is. But Larry Nations, AAPG's communications >>> >director, made it clear in a New York Times interview earlier this >>> >month that AAPG's leadership doesn't mind blurring the line between >>> >truth and fiction: "It is fiction," said Nations, "but it has the >>> >absolute ring of truth."(6) Even Crichton may need to be >>> reminded that >>> >he is a fiction writer, not a journalist - or a climate scientist: >>> >Last September, Crichton gave "expert" testimony to the U.S. Senate >>> >Environment and Public Works Committee about climate science.(7,8) >>> > >>> >For some, AAPG's decision to blur the line between fact and fiction >>> >will give Crichton's novel scientific credibility. For others, it >>> >will strip AAPG of its own remaining scientific credibility. >>> Both are >>> >sad outcomes for science. >>> > >>> >I urge you to write a letter to AAPG's leadership if you find their >>> >decision reprehensible as I do (their contact info is provided >>> below), >>> > >>> and >>> >to reconsider any personal and departmental affiliations with AAPG. >>> > >>> >Sincerely, >>> > >>> >Yarrow Axford, Ph.D. student in Geological Sciences, Univ. of >>> Colorado >>> > >>> >REFERENCES >>> > >>> >(1) http://www.aapg.org/houston/openingsession.cfm >>> >(2) http://www.aapg.org/business/honors_awards/journalism.cfm >>> >(3) http://www.aapg.org/business/awards/journalism.cfm >>> >(4) http://www.realclimate.org/index.php?p=74 >>> >(5) http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/306/5702/1686 >>> >(6) http://www.freepress.net/news/13806 >>> >(7) >>> >http://www.agiweb.org/gap/legis109/ >>> climate_hearings.html#september28 >>> >(8) http://epw.senate.gov/hearing_statements.cfm?id=246814 >>> > >>> >CONTACT INFO >>> > >>> >Contact information for AAPG's leadership: >>> > >>> >Peter R. Rose, President >>> >AAPG >>> >P. O. Box 979 >>> >Tulsa, OK 74101-0979 >>> >[log in to unmask] >>> > >>> >Lee T. Billingsley, President-Elect >>> >AAPG >>> >P. O. Box 979 >>> >Tulsa, OK 74101-0979 >>> >[log in to unmask] >>> > >>> >Stephen E. Laubach, Chair >>> >AAPG Academic Liaison Committee >>> >[log in to unmask] >>> > >>> >Contact info for regional section leaders is available at: >>> >http://www.aapg.org/contacts/sections.cfm#leaders >>> > >>> > >>> >-- >>> >Yarrow Axford >>> >Ph.D. Student in Geological Sciences >>> >Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research >>> >University of Colorado, Boulder >>> >>> -- >>> >>> ******************************************************************** >>> ***** >>> Giulio Di Toro >>> c/o Universita' di Padova >>> Dipartimento di Geologia, Paleontologia e Geofisica >>> Via Giotto 1 >>> 35137 Padova, Italy >>> tel ++39 049 8273941 >>> fax ++39 049 8272070 >>> e-mail: [log in to unmask] >>> URL: >>> http://www.geol.unipd.it/04_didattica/dottorato/postdoc/giulio/ gdt.htm >>> ******************************************************************** >>> ***** >> -- No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. 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