Tue, 06 Jan 2009 12:05:16 +0000 http://www.scienceforthepeople.com/ Science for the People en-gb http://www.scienceforthepeople.com/images/logo.gif http://www.scienceforthepeople.com/ m.j.w.povey@food.leeds.ac.uk http://www.scienceforthepeople.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=90 23% of all R&D in the UK by expenditure was carried out in the Higher Education Sector in 2002; there is every reason to think that this proportion is increasing. The HE sector has a high concentration of scientists, either members of the UCU or potential members of the UCU and the UCU represents scientists in Medical Research Council institutes. Science is a core activity in Higher Education. Science is central to our society and is a matter of daily debate and interest. An understanding of the role of science in Higher Education is obviously important to the UCU and hence the Education Committee of the UCU has commissioned this work. Tue, 06 Jan 2009 12:05:16 +0000 http://www.scienceforthepeople.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=89 Israel's mass slaughter and devastation of Gaza shows its barbarity has no limits. 550 Palestinians are dead and 2.500 injured. Half of Gaza's one and a half million Palestinians are children. Dozens have been killed or injured. United Nations representatives in Gaza say the horror unleashed by Israel is "inhuman" and the people are "trapped, traumatised and terrorised". This is what happens when the fourth most powerful military in the world unleashes its arsenal of terror on a defenceless people trapped in the most densely populated area in the world. Across the world there have been demonstrations of anger and outrage at the inaction of governments in making Israel stop the carnage now. Tue, 06 Jan 2009 12:04:55 +0000 http://www.scienceforthepeople.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=88 The UK Government has provoked a funding crisis in fundamental science, despite pumping a lot more money into science as a whole. Astronomy and Physics have been the worst hit with the announcement that the famous Jodrell Bank radio telescope will be closed together with a 10% cut in overall funding for university physics departments. Astronomy and particle physics funding faces an £80 million shortfall in cash from the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) over the next three years. The Astronomer Royal Professor Martin Rees says, “The funding of the physical sciences is at a precarious state." Sat, 12 Apr 2008 19:42:37 +0100 http://www.scienceforthepeople.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=87 Troops out of Iraq and Afghanistan Don’t attack Iran End the siege of Gaza "I really hope that on 15 March people will join the demonstration in Trafalgar Square at 12. To march against the war and march against the continued occupation which has come from this war. It had a rotten basis and nothing good will come of it." Nick Broomfield, Documentary film maker for more details go to www.stopwar.org.uk Mon, 10 Mar 2008 15:43:40 +0000 http://www.scienceforthepeople.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=86 There are a number of responses to the reality of Climate Change. One is to blame it on the individual, particularly the car driver and recommend that car drivers be priced off the roads through taxes and prohibitive car parking fees. This can be a divisive issue in workplaces where those cycling to work see car drivers as the enemy and support employers who wish to increase car parking fees. The following discussion is in the context of a debate within the University and College Union (UCU) regarding workplace parking fees. Tue, 29 Jan 2008 14:15:02 +0000 http://www.scienceforthepeople.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=85 Climate Change Trade Union Conference 9th February 2008 at the University of London Union, Malet Street. See more here . www.climatecc.org Get your Union to support the Campaign Are you a member of a trade or students union? If so, we need your help! We want to build the widest possible coalition of forces to campaign for action on climate change. Involving our unions is an important part of this. Proposing motions of affiliation to CCC is a good way of raising the issue, and of tapping into activist (and financial) support. If you've never proposed a motion to your union before it might seem scary. But don't be intimidated - the whole point of unions is to respond to the concerns of their members. Union affiliation fees: National £250, Regional £100, Local £25 Mon, 24 Dec 2007 00:45:41 +0000 http://www.scienceforthepeople.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=84 For details including transport see http://www.campaigncc.org/ Mon, 03 Dec 2007 16:36:25 +0000 http://www.scienceforthepeople.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=82 We think that, up to now, questions of science and democracy got unfortunately not enough attention from the forums. Therefore, our idea was to launch a call for a "World Social Forum on Science and Democracy" that would be linked to the next WSF that will take place in Belem, Brazil, in January 2009. Please find here attached our call. You can also find it at our website http://fsm-science.org/ where it figures in several languages. Wed, 24 Oct 2007 13:17:32 +0100 http://www.scienceforthepeople.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=81 Thursday 8th November, How can we win the race against climate catastrophe ? Public Meeting at the Friends House, 173 Euston Road, 7.00 pm with George Monbiot, author journalist and campaigner and John Sauven, Director of Greenpeace UK. http://www.campaigncc.org/Calendar.shtml Tue, 23 Oct 2007 22:19:54 +0100 http://www.scienceforthepeople.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=80 Saturday 9th February Campaign against Climate Change Trade Union Conference at the University of London Union, Malet street, London. http://www.campaigncc.org/Calendar.shtml Tue, 23 Oct 2007 22:16:45 +0100 http://www.scienceforthepeople.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=79 Saturday, December 8th National Climate Protest, London - part of the Global Day of Action on Climate to mark the UNFCCC Climate Talks in Bali, Indonesia. http://www.campaigncc.org/Calendar.shtml Tue, 23 Oct 2007 22:16:27 +0100 http://www.scienceforthepeople.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=78 Introduction - What is Science? Modern Science is a product of the enlightenment and the bourgeois revolutions, depending for its development on industrialism and factory production methods for the manufacture of scientific instruments. In turn, modern capitalism could not have come into being without science (science at the crossroads - Bukharin, full reference required) For Karl Marx, Science is one of the forces of production. Sat, 12 May 2007 21:37:11 +0100 http://www.scienceforthepeople.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=77 Why we should defend stem cell research by John Parrington Stem cell research is among the most exciting but also most controversial areas of science today. It was in the news again last week because of proposals by British scientists to make stem cells from embryos created by implanting the genes from a human cell into the egg of a rabbit, cow or goat. Sun, 21 Jan 2007 14:22:50 +0000 http://www.scienceforthepeople.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=76 http://www.uculeft.devisland.net/uculeft-academic-freedom.html for the full discussion document The first amendment to the US constitution provides perhaps the first liberal legislation relevant to freedom of speech. This seems a particularly appropriate starting point given the current fashion for ‘neo-liberalism’ -“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” Sun, 14 Jan 2007 11:30:12 +0000 http://www.scienceforthepeople.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=75 Review of "Climate Change: Why nuclear power is no answerâ" By Martin Empson A Socialist Worker pamphlet: £1 This pamphlet is timely with its arguments on why nuclear power is not the answer to climate change. It is written at a time when Bush and Blair are attacking the Iranian nuclear programme but remain committed to nuclear power themselves despite its cost, its appalling safety record and the insoluble problems of long term storage of nuclear waste. Martin Empson clearly presents the real reasons for the interest in nuclear power and that is the direct application to the nuclear weapons programme and the ability to produce plutonium for nuclear bombs. Obviously there is a solution to all of this in that the existing nuclear powers could all agree to disarm their nuclear arsenals, however, on the contrary western governments refuse to do this. Instead they hypocritically condemn those countries like Iran who wish to develop a civil nuclear power programme but do not yet have a weapons capability. Thu, 28 Sep 2006 08:30:58 +0100 http://www.scienceforthepeople.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=74 See http://www.campaigncc.org/ Fri, 22 Sep 2006 07:23:47 +0100 http://www.scienceforthepeople.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=73 see http://www.stopwar.org.uk/ Time to Go - Demonstrate against the Bush/Blair Wars in Manchester on September 23rd 2006 at the Labour Party Conference. Fri, 22 Sep 2006 07:10:57 +0100 http://www.scienceforthepeople.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=72 Elsevier, apart from publishing a big part of the scientific journals and books, owns a company called Spearhead Exhibitions, which organizes the most important armament fair in the world (Defense Systems and Equipment International, DSEi (London)). You can read more at: http://www.idiolect.org.uk/elsevier/index.htm And there, you can join the scientific comunity in a protest against these activities. Please spread the word! Sign the petiton at http://www.idiolect.org.uk/elsevier/petition.php#signed Fri, 22 Sep 2006 06:40:26 +0100 http://www.scienceforthepeople.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=71 In the twentieth century, scientists and scientific workers in various disciplines have turned their attention, both theoretically and in practice, to issues of science policy, political commitment and to the social and international roles of science. Attempts to develop a politically conscious science were launched in a range of countries, sometimes independently of one another, sometimes inspired by each other, and sometimes in close collaboration. Tue, 24 Jan 2006 11:48:01 +0000 http://www.scienceforthepeople.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=70 'The science factory' (1989). From 'Socialist Worker Review' 116, January 1989." Malcolm Povey The development of the atomic bomb marked, to a large degree, the end of the scientist as the independent bourgeois individual. The Manhattan Project, which developed the bomb, was the first science factory. Mon, 09 Jan 2006 08:50:25 +0000 http://www.scienceforthepeople.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=69 Dear Friends, We now know of confirmed demonstrations for the climate on Dec 3 in 24 countries. The details are below. If you want to be involved, and your country is listed below, please contact the address for each country. If your country is not listed, please contact info@globalclimatecampaign.org, or findjonathan@hotmail.com - we are in touch with people from several other countries, and can link you with them. For more details, please see www.globalclimatecampaign.org Latest details (October 31st) below Mon, 31 Oct 2005 07:26:55 +0000 http://www.scienceforthepeople.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=68 We are looking for prominent scientists to publically-support/add-their-name to the worldwide climate demonstration on December 3rd. If you know anyone who will be willing to do this please let us know at feedback@scienceforthepeople.com. The editor will then contact them on behalf of the demonstration organisers. Mon, 31 Oct 2005 07:23:06 +0000 http://www.scienceforthepeople.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=67 December 3rd is the Saturday midway through the "MOP" (First "Meeting of Parties" to the Kyoto Protocol) Climate Talks in Montreal, 28th November-9th December. The London Demo is part of the International Day of Climate Protest with climate demos planned all around the world from Montreal to Japan. Help ceate a global wave of protest to press for the urgent action we need to prevent the catastrophic destabilisation of global climate. For many more details see www.campaigncc.org See below for details of the demonstration in your country. If there isn't one, organise one! Let www.campaigncc.org know what you are doing. Mon, 31 Oct 2005 04:03:42 +0000 http://www.scienceforthepeople.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=66 Dear Alexandra, the critique of so-called "grass roots" activists on the decision making process of the ESF is actually critique of anarchists and people on the extreem-left who oppose every form of organisation. I think, that if you really want to change the world we live in we should have some form of organisation and some idea of where to go next. If there is no debate about what strategy to take (so forming some power/political alternative on the left), then there is actually not really a point in organizing a ESF. Then the ESF will just be reduced to a festival, or merely a think tank for social-democracy. In the whole of Europe there is a crisis of social-democracy in the form that these parties have been part of neoliberal reforms (SPD in Germany, Tue, 09 Aug 2005 09:40:48 +0100 http://www.scienceforthepeople.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=65 SAVE THE DATE! Saturday, November 19, 2005 Students and Educators to STOP THE WAR Fall Conference in Los Angeles Location TBA Co-Conveners: Andy Griggs, United Teachers Los Angeles; Roger Marheine, Pasadena City College, CCA/CTA; Anitra Wetzel, Students Active in Political Affairs, LA Valley College Tue, 02 Aug 2005 03:55:18 +0100