Science Friday on Saturday

Last night's Talk of the Nation topic was delightfully-surprisingly apropos: Oceans! (My trip to Seattle was for visiting the oceanographers and marine geologists, not the earth science department as you might have supposed.) For those of you too lazy to listen to the program, here's a summary:

Ira Flatow: So the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy released a fabulous report, and the Bush Administration said nice things about it.
Admiral Richard West: Why yes, it was fabulous, and the administrative response appeared unusually reality-based.
IF: So how's the funding situation, then?
RW: Worst. Budget. EVAR.
IF: Let me list some of the oceanographic research-funding agencies that have experienced budget cuts lately.
RW: Here are some more.
IF: What about these other initiatives, have they been funded?
RW: No. By the way, our research fleet is going to explode in three to five years. Not only will the ships not be replaced, the explosions will kill any graduate students on board.
Me: OH TEH NOES!!!1!
Musical Interlude
IF: My next guest is Dr. Deborah Kelley, Associate Professor of Oceanography at the University of Washington.
Me: Squeeee! [So I left the visit feeling like regardless of my nominal advisor, I could easily end up as the transgenic (transmemic?) intellectual love child of almost the whole marine geology department. Which would definitely include Dr. Kelley.]
IF: OMG these new hydrothermal vents are teh sexay!!1!
DK: Doooooood!
IF: No seriously, how sexy is this?
DK: pH 11, yo. Think about it.
Musical Interlude
IF: Blah blah biology.
Dr. Douglas Bartlett: Blah blah blah biochemistry. Blah blah blah.