WENDELL H. SLABAUGH Oregon State Unwersity Cowallls. 97331
The liwraturr ufsciencc thn~uchitutraditionalstyleolformat,encourogesthr grncrnl cuncrpr thnt chern~ztiandsrientist* in general lack emution and humur and that thew is no room t'or dwhr. The humorow, nmivnl and lighter side of chemistry reflects the element of humanism among chemists and at times may favorably influence our non-science friends in their view of science as a respectable discipline. Moreover, a little wit is welcomed by our students. A survey of this JOURNAL shows that since its inception 55 years ago the editors have recognized the role of humor and encouraged the reporting of a justifiable number of such items. The current editor is no exception in this respect, and the re-introduction of this feature should be recognized as no departure from a long-standing effortto make chemistry the intenselv human endeavor it renllv in. ~, Readers of the .JOlJRN.AL a;e cordially invited to submit their contributions to t h ~ lcnturr. z Huprfull~.the shnrinp. uf your rhrmicnl nnerdtws, puzzles, rartwns, and such will t.nal,lc all o i w t o Iw better chemists and chrmical cduccruri. The s w r r e 01 all cuntrilrutims should be identified, but the contributor mav request that the lrrm apprnr anuncmx~sls in the JOURNAL. Send your contribution to: Wendell H. Slabauxh. Department of Chemistry, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR ~
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Opportunity This ioh reminds me of the mosauito who discovered hed landed in a nudist camp. ~e knew what his job was hut didn't quite know u,here to hegin.
From Microcosm to Macrocosm Great fleas have little fleas Upon the hacks to bite 'em. And little fleas have lesser fleas And so on ad infinitum And the great fleas themselves, in turn, Have greater fleas to go on While these again have greater still And greater still, and so on -Augustus de Morgan, 1806-1871
The Ecosystem A story from Seattle tells about the police rounding up all the prostitutes and shipping them outof-state-to the Virgin Islands, of course, for recycling.
Never Give Up Carl Leopold, horticulturist, was describing the pitfalls of making one's mark as a young scientist. No matter how unique one's discovery may be it must he recognized hy the establishment. As a result, three steps occur in theacceptance of a new idea. Upon first publication, the new idea is met with the response: "I don't helieve it." After thorough re-study and verification, further publication receives the evaluation: "It may he true but its not important." Finally, after much more effort and evidence to support the novel idea comes the reaction from those in high places: "We knew this all along."
There's a Difference An official notice posted conspiciously a t the entrance of a chemistry building reads: Bicycles are NOT to be parked inside this huilding. They may he physically removed and/or impounded. (Simed) Department . Chariman. In the lower margin of this notice appear several comments kindly added by thoughtful students: Is there any other way to remove something? Followed by: Yes, chemically! And then by: Same thing you d u m b . . . . Finally to settle it once and for all: One shouldn't call others names when one is wrong. Chemical and physical are different. That's why there's a branch called physical chemistry.
Police Report Campus police described an incident that occurred in their office one evening last week. "Two masked persons enteredthe security office, threw a fire bomb that miraculously did not ignite, showered the office with the white powdery carbon dioxide (sic) of a fire extinguisher, broke into the educational display case of narcotics and took two bags of marijuana." The dope, incidentally, was ten years old. One hag broke and the other, police said would provide about as much kick as smoking dried leaves.
Chemically Pure "This is Mr. Cyanide of Brooklyn. I'd like to place a call to Mr. Mercury in Atlanta," "Will that he a poison-to-poison call?"asked the operator. Volume 54. Number 9. September 1977 1 587
