Pathological Science

I discuss examples of what Dr. Irving Langmuir, a Nobel prize winner in Chemistry, called "the science of things that aren't so." Some of his examples are reviewed and others from High Energy Physics are added. It is hoped that discussing these incidents will help us develop an understanding of some potential pitfalls.Comment: Presented at Theoretical Advanced Study Institute In Elementary Particle Physics (Tasi), University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado June, 2000. To appear in the proceedings. (10/31/2000 - Fixed a reference.

The Decriminalisation of Abortion: an Argument for Modernisation

While abortion is now offered as a routine part of modern NHS-funded reproductive healthcare, the legal framework regulating it remains rooted in the punitive, conservative values of the mid-Victorian era. This article argues that this framework is in need of fundamental reform to modernise it in line with the clinical science and moral values of the 21st century. It assesses the current statutory framework regulating abortion against the purposes that are typically claimed to motivate it: the protection of women; and the prevention and condemnation of the intentional destruction of fetal life. It argues that it fails to achieve either of these broad aims and that we should thus remove specific criminal penalties relating to abortion. This, it is suggested, would be likely to have very limited impact on the incidence of abortion but would, however, better recognise contemporary medical realities and moral thinking

Heavy Flavor Physics

The main purpose of Heavy Flavor experiments is to discover physics beyond the Standard Model, or characterize it, should it be found elsewhere. Thus, current limits on New Physics (NP) are reviewed. New results are presented, some involving processes that could show NP even with current data. Specific topics include the CKM element |Vub|, the forward-backward asymmetry in B -> K* mu+ mu-, b-hadron fractions at the LHC, B(Bs -> mu+ mu-), first observations of several Bs and Bc decay modes, the X(4140), new b-baryons and their decays, searches for Majorana neutrinos, and Lepton Flavor Violation.Comment: To appear in Proceedings of the DPF-2011 Conference, Providence, RI, August 8-13, 2011, 16 pages, 26 figures; version 2 fixed some typographical error