Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute chief named director o...

Marcia McNutt, who served as president and chief executive officer of the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute in Moss Landing for the past 12 years, was confirmed Wednesday as director of the U.S. Geological Survey.

[JJJ]

So, who takes over as CEO/etc of MBARI ?

[The Scream]

beaker mcracken wrote:

Over a billion a year to maintain maps and measure earthquakes and put those cool ittle geo-markers in mountains. Huh. What happens when the dollar crashes and we can't afford it anymore?

I dunno, kill funding for a port-laden weapons system or two? Slap a transaction tax on stock trading? There are always answers -- what they are depends on your priorities.

Some GOP types were making fun of USGS spending some money to monitor some volcano up in Alaska this past year -- and then it blew up. This "useless" stuff saves lives and makes life better.

Good luck to McNutt, she probably earned it. I toured MBARI once a few years ago and that's a seriously amazing facility full of people doing valuable things. Like walking into an episode of Nova.

[JJJ]

indeed, MBARI is a major asset to the region, a world class research institute created by the legacy of David Packard for pure science.

[slightly salty]

cool!!!

[Hummmmm]

beaker mcracken wrote:

Over a billion a year to maintain maps and measure earthquakes and put those cool little geo-markers in mountains. Huh.

USGS does a whole lot more. Try: measure streamflows and rivers to warn you of floods, model landslides so you get warnings before they start sliding, tsunami research so you get better tsunami warnings, pollution research that's helped save bald eagles and other endangered species, volcano research to warn you in advance of volcanic eruptions, complete maps of the USA including places no private company would map so you can learn more, authoritative oil and gas research so you know when peak oil (has) hit, earthquake research that's used to strengthen building codes and saved your noggin, and a whole lot more.

USGS research and warnings have saved tens of thousands of lives and many billions of dollars.

And ... USGS budget has been around $1 billion since 1983, doing as much as it can on less money.

[slightly salty]

beaker mcracken wrote:

Over a billion a year to maintain maps and measure earthquakes and put those cool ittle geo-markers in mountains. Huh. What happens when the dollar crashes and we can't afford it anymore?

hmm, sounds like ya might wanna step outa the lab and into the real world once in awhile there, beaker...

[slightly salty]

beaker mcracken wrote:

<quoted text>
you miss my point. even well-managed scientific endeavors are going to be impossible when the dollar crashes. we can cheer the progression of an effective executive (huzzah!), but to what end?

yeah we should just shutter the USGS and forget about it...

[slightly salty]

beaker mcracken wrote:

<quoted text>
or maybe we should forget about government healthcare, high-speed rail, foreign wars, "stimulus," cash for clunkers and other programs b/c we will not be able to afford the USGS when the dollar dissolves into worthless paper.

apparently you are simply here to say "nay," not to offer any useful input...

[slightly salty]

beaker mcracken wrote:

<quoted text>
apparently you lack the ability to read posts critically and understand anything more than polemic. let me say this in a way a 5th grader will understand:
if you value what the USGS does, and if you value NOAA, or if you honor what other agencies that actually help do, then you should be against the wars and government run healthcare.
please don't reply. it's usually a disappointment to read your drivel.

oh beaker u so wise and we so dumb. 2 bad only u know what u meant 2 say... u r brilliant and u know it and that's what counts!

[slightly salty]

beaker mcracken wrote:

<quoted text>
not "we" just you.
and my mind's just a mediocre mind.
imagine what that says about your sad little brain.
maybe you'd have some spare cycles and think more clearly if you expended fewer resources on hate and judgement.

u don't know me beaker so don't pretend u do. hmm, your postings were not clear to others and you chose to mock them for it; so it was you who expressed hate and judgement, was it not?