Jeebus, how much good news from Congress can we stand? Last Thursday, they gave Fermilab enough funding to continue their mission (more info here); something that was in so much doubt that the lab was about to start laying people off. Like, the next day. So this was just in time.
I hadn’t written about this, but budget cuts at Fermilab were gutting the place, and morale was getting pretty bad. This turnaround must be lighting the lab up. It’s extremely heartening to see this from Congress. As usual, if your Rep had anything to do with this, please let them know how you feel!
And hmmm… I wonder if the new Illinois Representative Bill Foster — a particle physicist from Fermilab — had anything to do with this?
Tip o’ the Higgs boson to BABlogee Quinton Champer.
July 1st, 2008 at 8:08 pm
Jeebus, how much good news from Congress can we stand?
It’s an election year. It’ll pass.
July 1st, 2008 at 8:26 pm
Next up:
Arecibo Observatory gets an overhaul?
I hope, I hope, I hope!
Rich in Charlottesville
July 1st, 2008 at 8:31 pm
The large hard-on collider which is our congress makes good with the science! Yay!
July 1st, 2008 at 8:38 pm
Glad to have you back Phil! I was going through withdrawal! And how rad to be affiliated with Discover Magazine!!
July 1st, 2008 at 8:48 pm
So you’re suggesting possible pork barreling? Only kidding. The continued production of Fermis is good news.
Kevin F, I don’t know that they’d do this because it’s an election year. Budgeting for sciencey type things doesn’t seem to be a way garnering votes except when it is really obvious like when the pres announces we are going to Mars… one day… gosh we’re have some big ideas… vote for me… mission accomplished.
July 1st, 2008 at 8:48 pm
Yeah! I worked at Fermilab a while ago and still am on the users email list. Fermilab is a large complex with people from the around the world who spend weeks or months at a time there doing research. Due to this fact, Fermilab tries to provide things like rental housing, a fitness center, basketball courts, soccer fields, etc. The Fermilab pool was not even going to open this summer until protests from the workers. They finally got it open recently (in late June).
It is important to keep these people employed…running an accelerator is not something you can train people to do overnight (much less a couple of thousand people) and if we lose this knowledge, it will take a generation to rebuild.
July 1st, 2008 at 9:47 pm
Pres. Bush has indicated he will sign the bill…. Just don’t tell him it deals with science.
July 1st, 2008 at 9:50 pm
Is there a list of who voted and how? My Representative is something of a D.I.N.O., so I assume he voted against it.
July 1st, 2008 at 9:52 pm
This is great news. My mother and I go there a lot for lectures and stuff. She’s in a wheelchair and can’t get in and out of the seats very well. I pulled her up a couple times but so have a couple staff members. The ladies who are docents are also really nice. I’m glad that everyone will have a job. They are very professional doing their jobs well but also just really nice people.
July 1st, 2008 at 9:53 pm
Oh, and uh… thanks for not snagging my IP address in the spam filter! I can tell things are better already. Congrats with movin’ on up in the blogosphere!
July 1st, 2008 at 10:08 pm
Congrats on the new location, Phil!
To those like Theropod and myself wondering how their Reps voted, I think this page is relevant:
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/vote.xpd?vote=h2007-498
July 1st, 2008 at 10:16 pm
I went to Fermilab a long time ago on its opening day, probably the coolest place in Illinois.
July 1st, 2008 at 11:08 pm
I live about a mile from the Fermilab grounds and I’m thrilled with this news. It’s big for science, obviously, but it also helps pretty close to home.
I’m also a big Bill Foster fan. I have past-Fermi-coworkers of his living in the neighborhood who have nothing but the best things to say about him. I take it as a good sign for science that he snagged Hastert’s seat in a very red district. If he had any influence at all on snagging the funding, then I’ll gladly call that another victory.
Finally, congrats on the move, Phil!
July 1st, 2008 at 11:23 pm
TonyInBatavia, don’t forget that Judy Biggert also stepped up to the plate, even though it isn’t her district and she’s a republican. I was gerrymandered out of her district but even though I hate the republican party with the burning passion of a billion Class O stars I’d vote for her again. She strikes me as fair minded. That’s more than we can say about Hastert and much more than we can say about my idiot representative, Peter Roskam. He’s busy protecting marriage so he doesn’t have time to help.
By the way, does anyone have any idea what this bill number is? It seems to be a secret, I have been looking for it for quite some time now. It’s not attached to that war funding bill, is it?
July 1st, 2008 at 11:29 pm
Excellent, excellent news! My fermions are jubilant!
BTW, Congrats on your Discover move. Hopefully it will help bring a little more to the person who brings us so much. It’s been many years since I read Discover magazine, but I’ll check it out now that your photons are emitting from their leptons.
July 2nd, 2008 at 4:15 am
Phil, the new font is really terrible. Any chance of getting back to the lettering of BABlog?
July 2nd, 2008 at 7:55 am
That’s terrific news! I used to live in Naperville – we’ve got very fond memories of Fermilab (like the concerts they used to have on the campus).
Of course, our congresscritter voted no, but I expected that. He wouldn’t know how to spell science if you paid him a million dollars to do so.
July 2nd, 2008 at 7:56 am
So, I guess we all have to re-enter our name and email addresses now???
Such a drag,,,
Congrats on the Discover connect. Hope this propels you to icon status. It’s certain to really irritate the woo-woo contingent.
In the future, when your book is a block buster movie, we can all say “We knew Phil when he was just a few bits shy of God Hood,,,”
,,,which is what happens when you are known by more than 2×10^6 people,,,
Keep on trucking, Phil,,,
GAry 7
July 2nd, 2008 at 10:48 am
Spyderkl, am I wrong in that you are also being represented by Peter Roskam? I’m so tired of Wheaton loons speaking for me…
July 2nd, 2008 at 11:03 am
I worked at Fermilab…
I live about a mile from the Fermilab grounds…
I went to Fermilab…
Um. I saw a picture of it once.
Mmmyep.
(kicks pebble)
July 2nd, 2008 at 11:33 am
Mena: Nope, we live on CO now – our representative is Tom “a wall will fix all our problems” Tancredo. And I sympathize with your having to deal with the Wheaton loons…always hated that about living there.
July 2nd, 2008 at 11:34 am
Gah…in, not on. I need more coffee.
July 2nd, 2008 at 12:45 pm
Okay … so it is good to have independent tests of some of LHC physics. But I wouldn’t pay for it. One world, one half generation (~10 years), one collider.
[Bad news. I had to add "collider" to my spellchecker. Seems we need more than Congress approval.]
Btw, Congress doesn’t strike me as a hard-on collider as much as a bozon trap.
July 2nd, 2008 at 4:28 pm
Yeah, bozon trap is a good one too. That’s a pun with Bozo the Clown, right? But with Viagra and strap-ons, it’s nearly 100%.
July 4th, 2008 at 9:48 am
Good thing! I’m sure Foster made a good case. FermiLab, of course, is important for science and as noted above, fostering international collaboration. They are also good environmental stewards of their land/property and I applaud that too. I’d love to visit it if I ever get to Chicago.
From the article: “The furloughs ended in May after an anonymous donation of $5 million.”
I love anonymous donations; while some argue that parading one’s name encourages others to donate, I’d say “Anonymous” has good character.