Wes Clark on the Science Panel at YearlyKos

[CarolNYC]

This is very cool...

Posted by DarkSyde

Fri May 19, 2006 at 03:42:58 AM PDT

I was star-struck to learn that the YearlyKos Science Panel will have the honor of hosting an actual four-star General! But then again, I'm not surprised that General Wesley Clark would value science given his former occupation and his lifelong commitment to scholastic excellence: Clark graduated first in his class from West Point in 1966, and is a Rhodes Scholar, having earned a master's degree in politics, philosophy and economics. He is also a graduate of the Ranger and Airborne schools. Our fighting men and women are dependent on sober analysis, pinpoint accuracy, and solid information. It can literally mean the difference between life and death. And historically, the practical military applications that flow directly from science have sometimes been the key advantage for our armed forces when battling superior numbers or fanatical enemies. I can't think of another 'industry' that has more to lose from the politicization of science than the US Military and the nation they serve and protect.

Seeing the need for leadership on this topic, Gen. Clark spoke about climate change as part of a panel at the 2005 Clinton Global Initiative, where he said that the problem impacts national security. Clark has also produced podcasts discussing global warming, and has joined the virtual marchers on http://www.stopglobalwarming.org/.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/5/19/64258/7121


Lots of good speakers scheduled at YearlyKos....Looks like it's shaping up to be quite the event. Too bad I can't attend...

[Totally Committed]

1. Wow! What a coup for Kos!

Science is sort of Wes's forte, isn't it? His brilliance just sort of plays into this whole thing... Scary-smart and science go well together. Well, good for them, and great for Wes!

TC

[Donna Zen]

2. WaveCrest and the General:

WaveCrest: developer of hydrogen engines

Note: a job Clark gave up because we asked him run. His original major at West Point was math/physics which he chose because he said that it was always easy for him. Of course, he was to change his major after a trip to the USSR while doing research for a paper from some original documents in Russian. As a teacher of the "gifted" I must tell you that the General blows my mind.

Setting and some of the participants participants: Allen Andersson-MIT math; Boris Maslov-Moscow Institute, PH. D. electronics engineering; Joe Perry-Duquesne U, physicist; Wes Clark. lab at WaveCrest.

Subject: electromagnetic cores, battery chemistries, algorithms, power-to-energy ratios, and electric drivelines

The first meeting of the minds between Clark and WaveCrest was informal but intense. “I remember that day very clearly,” said Perry. “Our company was very small, we had this dream, and Wes said, ‘I’d like to just come out and the engineers and have you guys explain what you’re doing.’ So people sat around on the floor and we had pizza and a couple of beers and did equations on the whiteboard. And Wes was at home. He immediately connected with the science and the engineers.”

Allen Andersson, the principal investor and cofounder of WaveCrest, was astonished at the mathematical prowess and quick grasp of the new technology that Clark exhibited during that first meeting. “When it came to explaining what our company was doing, he understood it a lot better than I did,” Andersson said. “He thought that I was just being modest; but no, he understood it and I didn’t . I felt embarrassed because he went to West Point and learned how to march while I went to MIT and learned mathematics. He’s a guy that does all the practical things, he knows how to move vehicles from one place to another and make sure they have good drivers and fuel and the right number of rest stops; but he’s also right there on the theoretical science end of it.”

...Perry remarked that Clark had a down-to-earth relationship with everyone at the company. “He would walk around building and talk to the janitor and people running the switchboard; everybody was equally important to him. He has that genuine connection that only a few people could make.” ...According to Perry and other officers of the company, Clark had the ability to rally everyone and make morale soar. “Wes was really, in many respects, an inspirational leader,” said Perry.

...”Towards the end he was becoming really distracted,” said Joe Perry. “It was one thing to read in the papers about the rumors of him entering the race, but it was another thing to sit in the next office to him see what was going on. You could just see that it was tearing him up; he just thought that what we were doing was bad for the country.” To his coworkers, Clark’s ambition was not about politics but about problem solving. In their day-to-day talks with him about the war on terrorism and the bush administration’s environmental policies, they witnessed a genuine concern that was personal. “You read that he’s just another politician,” said Perry. “He’s kind of everything but.”

(excerpts from: Wes Clark, A. Felix, 177-88)


“We need a vision of how we’re going to move humanity ahead, and then we need to harness science to do it.” ~Wesley Clark

[CarolNYC]

3. I love that...

pizza, beer and a whiteboard passage from that book.

Wes really does love sicence, doesn't he? This Science Panel is a great place for him.

[Texas_Kat]

5. This pretty much sums up Clark's forte regardless of subject

"When it came to explaining ....., he understood it a lot better than I did."

:-)

[judy from nj]

4. I'm so happy about this

I especially like that he is talking about science. This administration has downgraded the role of science and knowledge in general. It is great that he gets to talk about something other than the middle east.

[CarolNYC]

7. I knew you'd be thrilled, judy....

I quite like it myself...He'll wow those who think he only knows the military or national security...

[judy from nj]

6. Here is the link to the press release

http://yearlykos.org/node/434

[Donna Zen]

8. It would be worth the trip:

And I'd be there if not for the small problem of keeping my job. Administrating finals kinda means the school thinks I should be in the room. (sigh)

[Dudley_DUright]

9. Apparently Sam Seder of Air America's Majority Report

will be broadcasting live from YearlyKOS.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/5/15/13251/0458

[FrenchieCat]

10. Kewl!

Yep.....for those who want to think that the General has only one expertise in his bag of skills....think again!