Whenever people talk about their apprehensions with genetically engineered food, vaccines, or just science in general, I’ve taken to pointing to the nearest bridge – and there are plenty of engineering marvels in Brisbane – and I say, would you want a scientist to make sure that bridge doesn’t collapse while you’re driving over it, or would you prefer a faith healer?
(This is a weird connotation of a dream I had regularly as a child, where I thought people lifted our car up to the bridge, and then we would drive across Niagara Falls, and people at the other end would take the car down).
I prefer the engineering version.
On Dec. 6, 1989, the École Polytechnique massacre, also known as the Montreal massacre, took place, in which a lone gunman shot 28 people, killing 14 women.
His suicide note claimed political motives and blamed feminists for ruining his life. The note included a list of 19 Quebec women whom Lépine considered to be feminists and apparently wished to kill. It is the deadliest mass shooting in Canadian history.
And it led to my first teaching gig, where I was supposed to teach engineering undergraduates at the University of Waterloo to be better people.
Wow, missed the boat on that one.
But maybe I informed them, just a bit, about the world aside of science.
They’re going to need it.
The Trump administration is prohibiting officials at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control – the nation’s top public health agency, from using a list of seven words or phrases — including “fetus” and “transgender” — in official documents being prepared for next year’s budget.
Policy analysts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta were told of the list of forbidden terms at a meeting Thursday with senior CDC officials who oversee the budget, according to an analyst who took part in the 90-minute briefing. The forbidden terms are “vulnerable,” “entitlement,” “diversity,” “transgender,” “fetus,” “evidence-based” and “science-based.”
In some instances, the analysts were given alternative phrases. Instead of “science-based” or “evidence-based,” the suggested phrase is “CDC bases its recommendations on science in consideration with community standards and wishes,” the person said. In other cases, no replacement words were immediately offered.