sheril

Looks like my favorite Republican is crossing the party divide this election... Rep. Wayne T. Gilchrest, ousted after nine terms in a bitter Republican primary campaign last winter, will cross party lines today to endorse Democrat Frank M. Kratovil Jr. in the 1st Congressional District. Read more…

In November, 2007, a small group of six citizens - two screenwriters, a physicist, a philosopher, and Chris and I - began working to restore science and innovation to America's political dialogue in an initiative called ScienceDebate2008. Within weeks, more than 38,000 scientists, engineers, and…

Gustav is now a major hurricane headed toward Louisiana with estimated surface winds of 120 mph. He's expected to make landfall late Monday or early Tuesday. Values of Tropical Cyclone Heat Potential (TCHP) over 80 are often associated with rapid intensification of hurricanes. More from Jeff…

We knew Katrina was coming and now Hurricane Gustav looks set to get uncomfortably close to New Orleans. While models suggest Gustav will just miss the city, Jeff Masters has advised residents to leave given the small chance of a Category 3 storm surge. More at the National Hurricane Center.

Sarah Palin is McCain's running mate. As I wrote yesterday, with less than two years in office, her nomination undercuts his central criticism of his opponent -- that Obama is too inexperienced to be commander-in-chief. As a relatively young woman, she may draw a necessary demographic and…

In January of 2003, I sat in Joe Kelley's seminar at the University of Maine as he foretold the devastation that was to come to New Orleans. I'd never heard this chilling story before and listened intently as he explained that as far back as when The Big Easy flooded in the 1920's, scientists…

As I watched Obama deliver his acceptance address tonight, I sensed the growing optimism across the nation. And I'm not alone. Andrew Sullivan eloquently describes his speech: It was a deeply substantive speech, full of policy detail, full of people other than the candidate, centered…

In presidential campaigns, there's a tradition of allowing one's opponent a clear run on the night they accept their party's nomination. This time, McCain plans to air an ad congratulating Obama as he accepts the presidential nomination. Also for several hours we've been hearing rumors that the…

Michelle Obama, as quoted in the NYTimes: I was raised to believe I could do it all, and that was very empowering. Then I got into the work force and realized there was really no support for me to do it all. ... We either have to fix that or be honest about it. I share a similar perspective.

After Bill Clinton brought down the house, John Kerry called McCain a flip-flopper, followed by an impassioned speech from Biden accepting the VP nomination. And then...

"People around the world have always been more impressed by the power of our example than by the example of our power." - Bill Clinton, 2008 Democratic National Convention

In case you missed it, Hillary suspended the roll call to make Obama the nominee by acclamation: "Let's declare together in one voice right here, right now that Barack Obama is our candidate and he will be our president," said Clinton. Afterwards, everyone joined hands, singing and dancing to The…

originally published December 10, 2007 by Chris C. Mooney So, finally, Sheril and I can tell you what we've been working on. Let's begin with some background: Nearly a month ago, I linked up with Matthew Chapman, the author, screenwriter, and great grandson of Charles Darwin. Chapman, I already…

A new skyline for the greatest and greenest city in the world? Just imagine: It's 2018 and you stare up at the Brooklyn Bridge's gently revolving turbines. The taxis whir by, roasted nuts scent the crisp afternoon air, and you watch the giant windmill atop the Empire State Building turn round…

originally published May 27, 2007 by Sheril R. Kirshenbaum Anticlimactic perhaps, but then you knew my last post on Framing wouldn't provide closure on the topic. Hubris would be an understatement if I claimed to have a panacea of answers. Instead, what follows are a few musings to wrap up ideas…

originally published May 23, 2007 by Sheril R. Kirshenbaum Imagine you're a legislative staffer on Capitol Hill.. Short on time would be an understatement. In comes Joe scientist carrying charts and referencing stats and p-values. 'Let's talk Global Warming!' Again?! He's the fourth PhD this…

originally published May 23, 2007 by Sheril R. Kirshenbaum Much emphasis in traditional conservation is paced on 'charismatic megafauna,' meaning the species that we all know and love. The heroes of the big screen. Save the Oceans for Flipper and Free Willy. Keep those penguins marching and the…

originally published May 23, 2007 by Sheril R. Kirshenbaum There's not a one size fits all approach to getting a message across that resonates with the public and policymakers. The idea is to 'Frame Science' in a language that turns people on with the goal of engaging a targeted audience to think…

originally published May 23, 2007 by Sheril R. Kirshenbaum That's right, I said it. Dare I broach the topic sans Chris? Is it fair to discuss Framing when he's not here at The Intersection to reply? I think YES. Just be aware everything that follows is 'according to Sheril' and none of this…

I agree that Eleanor Roosevelt would be proud... or to quote Nate Silver who's live blogging from Denver: 9:03 PM MDT. One thing about Clinton -- really both Clintons -- they understand the audience they are speaking to better than any other politicians in America. 9:01 PM MDT. Like Schweitzer,…

originally published November 2, 2007 by Sheril R. Kirshenbaum I'm publicly responding to a particular reader's provocative comments because women-in-science is a topic that needs to be settled. Finally. After which, I'll be moving away from the great gender divide for a while and back to science…

originally published August 16, 2007 by Chris C. Mooney So: Whenever I have a new book out--or an old one out in paperback--I tend to do a lot of radio shows. And as a result, I've noticed a particular phenomenon that has started to get on my nerves a bit: Some hosts like to throw open the…

As I've written before, I'm nonpartisan. My decisions are dictated by more than political affiliation and I support members across the blue-red spectrum. But while the DNC and RNC websites are predictably focused on the same candidate this morning, I'm particularly troubled with the way this new…

It should come as no surprise to regular readers that I am a tremendous fan of Michelle Obama. She just gave, as Andrew Sullivan describes: One of the best, most moving, intimate, rousing, humble, and beautiful speeches I've heard from a convention platform. Maybe she should be running for…

originally published May 21, 2007 by Sheril R. Kirshenbaum In the first installment of Intersection-ing sans Chris, I've decided to address all this hullabaloo on Global Warming.. Is it real? More and more, scientists are criticized as alarmists jumping on the apocalyptic panic bandwagon while the…

originally published January 11, 2006 by Chris C. Mooney Well, here I am, now officially blogging at scienceblogs.com, with its whizzbang technical features and its awesome collection of other science bloggers. I have little doubt that this site will become a dominant--if not the dominant--locus…

Anyone else think the timing of Obama's text message was clever?

So what do readers think? *Update: For an extremely interesting analysis, visit Nate Silver.*

Thanks for your patience as we write and get set for a great line up next week...