The Agenda

by Saruman the White, Chief Scientific Policy Advisor to President Bush

[This article first appeared in The Agenda #14, January 2006]

Honestly, you people with your ridiculous “science.” Bah! When I bring agony and ruin upon your villages with the power of the One Ring, will the pathetic explanations of those blasphemous witch doctors you call “scientists” ease the pain of your destruction? I ask you, will their “logical conclusions” based on “data” and “experiments” drown out your screams? Only so foolhardy a race as men could build a society based on “scientific methods” and “empirical evidence.” Such nonsense! Istari magic and the visions of my palantir—those are the foundations of a functioning society.

An Ecology of Journalism

Questions for Grantham Prize/Metcalf Institute from Frank Mullin and Ashley Mercado at The Agenda. November 15, 2006.
Answered by Sunshine Menezes, Ph.D.; Executive Director of the Metcalf Institute for Marine and Environmental Reporting, based at the URI Graduate School of Oceanography.

Can you talk about the importance of the relationship between scientific researchers and environmental journalists in clarifying a message to the public?
As an oceanographer by training, I know first-hand how difficult it is for many scientists to communicate their research in a clear, understandable fashion. Although the scientific community has placed an increased priority on effective communication of its research in recent years, many scientists still struggle with this.

Coming Soon to a Neighborhood Near You

The Grantham Prize for Excellence in Reporting on the Evironment has spearheaded an effort to increase the relevance, importance, and acknowledgment of environmental reporting in the news.

Eight Mouth-Watering Ways to Change the World by Shopping at a Farmers’ Market!

by Gilligan Warmer

1. Help your neighbor:
   When you buy food from a farmers’ market, you directly support a farm family. Of course, if you buy from an Uber-Market or the Wal-Mart Super Center, you are supporting a farm family too.