Foreignstudent Enrollment Declines 122

Um...do you think they got this idea from the recently discovered new paradigm of business (i.e. Enron-Andersen, where they just simply "modeled" whatever profits they wanted)?

I do not think it can proceed without parallel

When I was in the Army (and doing radiological safety calculations in connection with a possible construction of a second--and larger--Panama canal, and the possible use of -- yes -- nuclear "explosives" in other words, nuclear plants but when the application is constructive rather than destructive, then a PC term must be used) all I had to go on to predict internal doses was simple models (but based on good, tested, buttumptions).

The real whips -- trying to predict "crater size" (explosives burried in a row and detonated simultaneously would create a phenomenally beautiful "row crater" i.e. instant canal), also used tow "models." One was a simple scaling curve, determined empirically. The other was what they called the "tensor code" and was carried out on a very fancy computer (at LLNL, then LRL) by modeling zillions of tiny elements, interacting withe each other. Awesomely lovey sophisticated approach and the muck-mucks went ga-ga over it. Trouble was, the scaling curve was more accurate. tsk, tsk.

Its been in the process of dying for a few years, now. Since the super-conducting super-colider was cancelled. Next train wreck might be NASA if they have mbuttive retirements plus the problems with the space station and flat budgets. Look for more project scale-backs and back pedals, more international collaboration. Two books recently written about these problems. "Lost in Space" and "Dragonfly." Even the Russians are ahead of us in the commercialization of space (if, that is, commercialization is a good criterion for deciding someone is ahead after all, look at commercial growth in China, recently).