[ RadSafe ] The "Nucular" debate

Wed Apr 2 19:06:59 CDT 2008

Nuclear isn't the only word with 'nucleus' as it's nucleus to be
mispronounced often.  I hear professionals in the radiation field routinely
saying "Chart of the Nu-clee-ides" instead of “Chart of the Nuclides".
Where does that come from?

Brent Rogers
Sydney Australia

-----Original Message-----
From: radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl [mailto:radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl] On Behalf
Of Doug Aitken
Sent: Thursday, 3 April 2008 3:51 AM
To: 'J. Marshall Reber'; 'eth_jones'
Cc: 'Radsafe'
Subject: [ RadSafe ] The "Nucular" debate

After my last post, I had a look at the internet and found some interesting
comments on this phenomenon:
http://people.ischool.berkeley.edu/~nunberg/nucular.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nucular

of course, if you want a really "in-depth" <G> discussion, try this;
http://www.languagehat.com/archives/000349.php

now, back to our regularly scheduled programs.....
;~)
Doug

-----Original Message-----
From: radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl [mailto:radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl] On Behalf
Of Doug Aitken
Sent: Wednesday, April 02, 2008 10:51 AM
To: 'J. Marshall Reber'; 'eth_jones'
Cc: 'Radsafe'
Subject: RE: [ RadSafe ] The good news about nuclear destruction

I think the fact that the current President is incapable of pronouncing
"Nuclear" (to the extent that all Washington "flacks" and the Administration
in general seem to now say "nucular" so as not to piss him off) says it
all.......

Regards
Doug (expat Brit, so not to be taken too seriously <G>)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Doug Aitken     Cell phone: 713-562-8585
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D&M Operations Support           
Schlumberger Technology Corporation
300 Schlumberger Drive
Sugar Land TX 77030

Home office: 713-797-0919  Home Fax: 713-797-1757
______________________________________________

-----Original Message-----
From: radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl [mailto:radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl] On Behalf
Of J. Marshall Reber
Sent: Wednesday, April 02, 2008 9:29 AM
To: eth_jones
Cc: Radsafe
Subject: Re: [ RadSafe ] The good news about nuclear destruction

On Sep 1, 2006, at 7:05 PM, eth_jones wrote:

>  If parents realized how scientifically illiterate their children  
> were in regards to nuclear, they might demand that schools turn out  
> nuclear literate students.  As for the government promoting civil  
> defense, it will never happen.

This observation is so close to a discussion on another listserve to  
which I opined, I thought it appropriate to repost my comments here:

>>
>> But I encourage you in all your experiments, this is how we learn.  
>> I often learn more from the experiments that don't work than I do  
>> from the ones that do. :-) When you theorize what should happen and  
>> it doesn't, then you usually have to devise other experiments to  
>> find out why.
>
> Although this attitude is highly recommended, especially for the  
> neophyte in order to develop good mental habits, it contains a much  
> more profound dilemma concerning the finiteness of life and the  
> incompleteness of understanding:  As one ages it becomes more and  
> more apparent that the level at which one can "tinker" a problem is  
> very dependent upon what others have learned in the past.  Ever  
> since Edison "invented" the large scientific laboratory fundamental  
> discoveries of how the universe seems to operate are more and more  
> dependent upon spending an apprenticeship to learn multiple ways of  
> observing nature.  This apprenticeship is neither short nor  
> effortless and is often eschewed by impatient youths.  Indeed,  
> pupils in many secondary schools in the USA , especially boys, would  
> rather become sports heros or rock stars than scientists.  At the  
> college level many of my science and engineering friends notice the  
> yearly decline of applications from domestic students and the growth  
> of foreign applications.  Just today the University of Massachusetts  
> has announced that in order to have sufficient students they will  
> start online programs for students in China.
>
> When I offered to assist anyone in a local, up-scale town's Boy  
> Scout Troop if anyone wanted to pursue the Atomic Energy Merit  
> Badge, I was refused with the admonishment that concerned parents in  
> that town would never approve of their children being involved with  
> learning anything about terrorist materials.  Imagine, from parents  
> almost all who have graduated from college!
>

J. Marshall Reber, ScD
165 Berkeley St.
Methuen MA 01844

Tel/Fax: 978-683-6540
Alternate Email: reber at alum.mit.edu

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