Fermi

Systems Thinking and Politics, or Rachel Carson and Donella Meadows meet The Frankenstein Monster

by L J Furman on October 8, 2009

The Frankenstein Monster as interpreted by Boris Karloff may have been a big guy who didn't know his own strength - again unbalanced reinforcing loops. As interpreted by Mel Brooks he was just misunderstood. Once those reinforcing loops were balanced - put the big lug in a tux - all hell didn't break loose.Systems Thinkingis [...]

Tagged as: Bill Clinton, Bush Rove, Carville, Donella Meadows, Feedback, Fermi, Feynman, Frankenstein, George W. Bush, Isaac Asimov, obama, Oppenheimer, Rachel Carson, Systems Thinking, The Manhattan Project, von Neumann

{ 0 comments }

Login
From the Pump Handle
- Diane Lillicrap on Crane Safety
  If you've got four minutes, go watch OSHA's video of Diane Lillicrap speaking on crane safety. Diane's son Steven Lillicrap, 21, was killed by a crane at a Missouri construction site in 2009. I wrote yesterday about the importance of OSHA's new crane rule, but Diane conveys it in a much more powerful way. Read the comments on this post... […]
- OSHA Publishes Long-Awaited Crane Rule
  Earlier today, OSHA published its long-awaited final rule on cranes and derricks in construction. We've been following this rule's slow progress for two years now, since a March 2008 crane collapse at a New York construction site killed six workers and a tourist. At the time, Celeste pointed out, "OSHA acknowledges that as many as 82 workers a […]
- The Asbestos Toll Goes Global
  The Center for Public Integrity's International Consortium of Investigative Journalists mounted a nine-month investigation into the global trade on asbestos, and teamed up with the BBC's International News Services to document the asbestos industry's activities in Brazil, Canada, China, India, Mexico, Russia, and the United States. What they f […]
- Fishing Closures and Seafood Sniffing: Addressing Gulf Seafood Safety
  By Elizabeth Grossman In mid-June most of the seafood shacks along the bayou roads between New Orleans and Grand Isle were closed. A seafood market that I stopped by on the western edge of New Orleans was virtually devoid of customers despite bins brimming with bright blue crab and tawny shrimp. Business was so slim that two women who should have been tendin […]
- Another Way to Reduce "Drugged Driving"
  In the New York Times, Abby Goodnough and Katie Zezima highlight the problem of "drugged driving," or driving while under the influence of a drug that impairs driving ability: The behavioral effects of prescription medication vary widely, depending not just on the drug but on the person taking it. Some, like anti-anxiety drugs, can dull alertness a […]
Please help Bob Levinson
Short Posts
- BBC News - New York airport jets 'directed by child' - Via BBC News: |US officials are investigating how a child was apparently allowed to direct planes at New York's JFK airport - one of the country's busiest.The probe comes after an audiotape caught the boy directing several pilots preparing for take-off last month.In one exchange, the boy is heard saying: ...
- BBC News - Belgian train crash: At least 20 feared dead in Halle - Railway officials said the two trains collided during the morning rush hour at Halle, south-west of Brussels.The local mayor told Belgian media that at least 20 people had been killed in the crash, but railway officials could not confirm the figure.Belgian media said the trains collided in snowy conditions.Mayor Dirk ...
- BBC News - Australian grandmother beats off attacking shark - The BBC reports that an Australian woman, attacked by a shark, has survived, despite the loss of 40% of her blood volume, and with her sense of humor entirely intact.An Australian grandmother has survived a shark attack by repeatedly punching and kicking the animal after it "ripped off" part of ...
- Ham Ops First to Report Haiti Quake « Ham Radio – Ham Events – Ham Reviews – Ham Links – Ham News - KE2YK's Random Oscillations reports that Ham operators were the first to report the recent earthquake in Haiti: Ham Ops First to Report Haiti Quake Over the past few days, Charlie Wooten has had his ear on his ham radio. Steadily listening to updates from the ...
- Pilot of Acupuncture to Improve Quality of Life in Veterans With Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and PTSD - Full Text View - ClinicalTrials.gov - Pilot of Acupuncture to Improve Quality of Life in Veterans With Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and PTSD - Full Text View - ClinicalTrials.gov. The purpose of this study is to examine if acupuncture improves Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder symptoms among veterans who participated in Operations Enduring ...
Technorati
Tags
Add new tag Afghanistan BP Clean Energy Climate Change Coal Comms Connecting the Dots conspicuity Deepwater Horizon Ecological Economics Economics Energy Epidemiology FDA FEMA Gear Geothermal go-bag hastily formed networks Health Care hybrid vehicles Information Design Iran Iraq jump bag Levinson Networks nuclear Nuclear Power obama oil President Obama reflective Software Solar Solar Energy Solar Power Sustainability Sustainable Energy Systems Thinking Transparency water wind Wind Power
A Better Blogroll
This random selection of our links changes each time the page is refreshed.
Stimulating Broadband
- Alert: House Appropriations Cuts $602 Million from Broadband Stimulus
  House Action Targets 14% Cut in Remaining Broadband Program Funds StimulatingBroadband.com 07/02/2010 Boston - The U.S. House yesterday voted in favor of a supplemental budget proposal of the Committee on Appropriations which aims to cut $602 Million from... This is a content summary only. For the full story, click on the link to visit our site. […]
  Peter Pratt
- Obama Announces $795 Million in 66 Round 2 Broadband Stimulus Awards
  StimulatingBroadband.com 07/02/2010 Boston - President Obama today announced award of the first 66 broadband stimulus projects, with a total of $795 million in grants and loans, under Round 2 of the $7.2 billion Recovery Act program. According to a White House press statement, the... This is a content summary only. For the full story, click on the link to vi […]
  Peter Pratt

Fermi

Systems Thinking and Politics, or Rachel Carson and Donella Meadows meet The Frankenstein Monster

Login

From the Pump Handle

Please help Bob Levinson

Short Posts

Technorati

Tags

A Better Blogroll

Stimulating Broadband