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Tech_Science_CandidatesOnScience.sPubDate = "9/23/2008 4:09:26 AM GMT";
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Tech_Science_CandidatesOnScience.appHeader = "Compare Obama and McCain's thoughts on science and technology";
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Tech_Science_CandidatesOnScience[i++] = new Array("","Introduction","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photo/_New/080915-mccain-obama-203p.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "AP file", "212", "423", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
Tech_Science_CandidatesOnScience[i-1].body = "<b> <P style=\"font-size: 12pt; color: red\">Introduction</P></b><p><br><a href=\"http://www.msnbc.com\"><img src=\" http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/i/msnbc/Components/Sources/Art/source-msnbc-com-newlogo.gif\" align=\"center\" border=0></a><br ALIGN=LEFT><i>By John Roach, contributor</i><br></BR><br>Concerned that critical issues such as climate change, stem cell research, scientific integrity and education are getting short shrift by the nation's presidential candidates, a grassroots organization called Science Debate 2008 drew up 14 questions on science and technology issues for the presidential campaign.<br></BR> Click the \"Next\" arrow above to see how Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama answered the questions.";

Tech_Science_CandidatesOnScience[i++] = new Array("","How can America remain a world leader in innovation?","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/ap/wx11601302028.hlarge.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "Jason Decrow", "AP", "273", "441", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
Tech_Science_CandidatesOnScience[i-1].body = "<b><p style=\"font-size: 12pt; color: red\">How can America remain a world leader in innovation?</p></b><p><br>Valerie Vu, pictured here, was attracted to a career as a math teacher via a non-profit organization's recruitment program. McCain and Obama support stronger math and science education to help ensure America remains a world leader in innovation. Obama also pledges to \"double basic research budgets over the next decade\" and provide broadband Internet connections \"for all Americans.\" McCain favors policies that \"provide broad pools of capital, low taxes and incentives for research in America.\" He stresses protections for American intellectual property and promises to appoint a science and technology advisor at the White House. McCain notes that he guided a policy \"that spurred the rapid rise of mobile phones and Wi-Fi technology.\"";

Tech_Science_CandidatesOnScience[i++] = new Array("","What about climate change?","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photo/2008/January/080107/080922-tec-brill-%20%283%29.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "left", "", "Peter West / AFP-Getty Images", "273", "205", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
Tech_Science_CandidatesOnScience[i-1].body = "<b><p style=\"font-size: 12pt; color: red\">What about climate change?</p></b><p><br>Earth's climate is changing, as evidenced by the rapidly disappearing Arctic sea ice seen in this image, and both candidates believe humans are part of the reason why. Obama seeks to cut U.S. greenhouse gas emissions to 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050. McCain strives for a 60 percent cut below 1990 levels by 2050. Obama wants to restore U.S. leadership to what he views as a global problem in part by establishing a program to export \"climate-friendly technologies, including green buildings, clean coal and advanced automobiles.\" McCain aims to strengthen enforcement of fuel economy standards, spend billions on \"clean coal technologies,\" and create a $300 million prize for \"leapfrog\" battery technology.";

Tech_Science_CandidatesOnScience[i++] = new Array("","What will the candidates do about the energy crisis?","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photo_StoryLevel/080123/080123nucleardrought-hmed-11a.hlarge.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "Jason E. Miczek", "AP", "273", "400", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
Tech_Science_CandidatesOnScience[i-1].body = "<b><p style=\"font-size: 12pt; color: red\">What will the candidates do about the energy crisis?</p></b><p><br>Nuclear power, such as that produced at this plant in North Carolina, plays a role in both candidates' plans to meet the demand for energy while ensuring an economically and environmentally sustainable future. Obama will increase federal spending on clean energy programs \"by $150 billion over ten years.\" The funds include a \"new generation of nuclear electric technologies\" and federal incentives for development of renewable sources of energy. McCain emphasizes his goal of \"building 45 new reactors by 2030\" and pledges reform of policies to promote renewable energy. ";

Tech_Science_CandidatesOnScience[i++] = new Array("","What's the government's role in science and math education?","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/070827/070827_scoped_hmed_2p.hlarge.jpg","","", "", "", "|", "", "", "", "InSTEP Program / Florida Institute of Technology", "273", "392", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
Tech_Science_CandidatesOnScience[i-1].body = "<b><p style=\"font-size: 12pt; color: red\">What's the government's role in science and math education?</p></b><p><br>Both candidates view the nation's education system as vital for making sure students like the ones shown here are ready for a society driven by science and technology. Obama supports \"research to understand the strategies and mechanisms that bring lasting improvements\" to science education and a coordinated approach to implement the findings with the best math and science teachers. McCain wants to leverage the creativity and experience of private corporations to identify and nurture star math and science scholars and use cash incentives to recruit and retain the best teachers.";

Tech_Science_CandidatesOnScience[i++] = new Array("","How can science and technology ensure national security?","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photo/2008/January/080107/080922-tec-brill-%20%284%29.hlarge.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "AFP-Getty Images file", "273", "393", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
Tech_Science_CandidatesOnScience[i-1].body = "<b><p style=\"font-size: 12pt; color: red\">How can science and technology ensure national security?</p></b><p><br>President Eisenhower emphasized math and science education in his \"call to arms\" following the Soviets' 1957 launch of the Sputnik satellite, shown here, and the threat it posed to America's national security. Today, Obama promises a boost to math and science education to combat threats ranging from \"asymmetric conflicts to cyber attacks, biological terror and nuclear proliferation.\" He'll also \"put basic defense research on a path to double.\" McCain is less specific, but will ensure that \"America retains the edge\" by supporting the military and funding for R&D.";

Tech_Science_CandidatesOnScience[i++] = new Array("","How will candidates head off pandemics and biological attacks?","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photo/2008/January/080107/080922-tec-brill-.hlarge.jpg","","Image: Casa Rinconada", "", "", "", "", "", "Hoang Dinh Nam", "AFP-Getty Images file", "273", "411", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
Tech_Science_CandidatesOnScience[i-1].body = "<b><p style=\"font-size: 12pt; color: red\">How will candidates head off pandemics and biological attacks?</p></b><p><br>Scientists fear that a setting such as the one shown here in Vietnam could cause bird flu to jump to human hosts, triggering a global pandemic that could kill more than 300 million people. Such natural threats, added to fears of a deliberate biological attack, have both candidates on guard and on the offensive. They aim to thwart outbreaks and terrorists before they hit the homeland. But if an outbreak or biological attack does hit, the candidates would react quickly and decisively. Obama would help hospitals prepare for a surge of patients needing attention and ensure that local and state governments \"have the resources to respond.\" McCain has a \"layered strategy to save lives and protect the continuity of a functioning society.\" ";

Tech_Science_CandidatesOnScience[i++] = new Array("","What about genetic research?","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/050323/050323_geneticfood_vmed_3p.hmedium.jpg","","Image: Chankillo", "", "", "", "", "left", "Charlie Neibergall", "AP", "273", "169", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
Tech_Science_CandidatesOnScience[i-1].body = "<b><p style=\"font-size: 12pt; color: red\">What about genetic research?</p></b><p><br>McCain and Obama laud the ability of genetically modified foods, such as the corn shown here, to benefit farmers and feed the world's hungry. Obama would push for stronger regulatory oversight; McCain sees a \"Green Revolution like the one that transformed Asia several decades ago.\" The candidates also point out the potential abuse of recent breakthroughs in genetics research. Obama supports the Genetic Information Non-Discrimination Act to prevent misuse of genetic information by employers and insurers. McCain advocates privacy of human records. ";

Tech_Science_CandidatesOnScience[i++] = new Array("","Should the government regulate and fund stem cell research?","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Video/071120/n_bazell_stemcells_071120.hlarge.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "NBC News", "273", "364", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
Tech_Science_CandidatesOnScience[i-1].body = "<b><p style=\"font-size: 12pt; color: red\">Should the government regulate and fund stem cell research?</p></b><p><br>In a departure from Bush administration policies, McCain supports expanded federal funding for embryonic stem cell research but says \"clear lines should be drawn that reflect a refusal to sacrifice moral values and ethical principles for the sake of scientific progress.\" Obama pledges an executive order to lift the current ban on federal funding for research on stem cell lines created after Aug. 9, 2001. McCain expresses hope that recent breakthroughs will render the stem cell debate \"academic.\" Obama, too, is encouraged by breakthroughs such as the ability to reprogram adult skin cells to behave like stem cells, as depicted in this image, but adds that \"embryonic stem cells remain the 'gold standard.'\"";

Tech_Science_CandidatesOnScience[i++] = new Array("","What steps will the candidates take to protect ocean health?","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photo/2008/January/080107/080922-tec-brill-1-v2.hlarge.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "NOAA / AP", "273", "397", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
Tech_Science_CandidatesOnScience[i-1].body = "<b><p style=\"font-size: 12pt; color: red\">What steps will the candidates take to protect ocean health?</p></b><p><br>Both candidates recognize the wealth of resources provided by the oceans and the potential of global climate change to alter them, such as the bleached coral reefs seen in this image. Obama says ocean protection is among the many reasons he advocates a cut in greenhouse-gas emissions to 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050. McCain says the ocean is \"one of the most complex management challenges facing the environment\" and calls for a \"better scientific understanding\" of them to achieve a \"better management focus.\"";

Tech_Science_CandidatesOnScience[i++] = new Array("","How can America meet demand for water resources?","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/ap/da9ffd98-1b75-4e9e-bc69-efb130d8f93a.hlarge.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "John Bazemore", "AP", "273", "399", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
Tech_Science_CandidatesOnScience[i-1].body = "<b><p style=\"font-size: 12pt; color: red\">How can America meet demand for water resources?</p></b><p><br>Water shortages, such as the one shown here that struck Georgia in 2007, are expected to increase over the next decade. To meet the demand for water resources, Obama would first set federal prices and policies that \"give everyone a clear incentive to use water efficiently and avoid waste.\" He also calls for \"research, development and testing of new technologies that can reduce water use.\" McCain calls water \"our lifeblood\" and advocates wise use of limited water supplies \"with a conservation ethic.\" He supports existing compacts and agreements between the states to govern water use, calling the approach \"forward-looking\" and \"mindful of potential technological developments.\"";

Tech_Science_CandidatesOnScience[i++] = new Array("","How would the candidates prioritize space?","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photo/2008/January/080107/080922-tec-brill-%20%281%29.hlarge.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "Mark Wilson / Getty Images file", "273", "397", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
Tech_Science_CandidatesOnScience[i-1].body = "<b><p style=\"font-size: 12pt; color: red\">How would the candidates prioritize space?</p></b><p><br>Both candidates see space research and exploration as inspirational to all Americans and essential for understanding the planet, particularly climate change. Obama wants to revitalize NASA and re-establish the National Aeronautics and Space Council to coordinate the nation's space activities. McCain would like to keep the door open for a continued space shuttle program and touts his involvement \"in a number of efforts to improve America's scientific prowess within the space arena.\"";

Tech_Science_CandidatesOnScience[i++] = new Array("","How do candidates balance science, politics and personal beliefs?","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/getty/gyi0051685704.hlarge.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "Chip Somodevilla", "Getty Images", "273", "414", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
Tech_Science_CandidatesOnScience[i-1].body = "<b><p style=\"font-size: 12pt; color: red\">How do candidates balance science, politics and personal beliefs?<p></b><p><br>Political interference with government scientists will not be tolerated under a McCain or Obama administration. Both candidates support having scientific advisers within the White House. McCain notes that \"scientific research cannot succeed without integrity and trust.\" Obama says he will issue an executive order to establish \"clear guidelines for the review and release of government publications.\" Will these pledges mean an end to hearings such as the one shown here, held by Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., in April to determine why the Bush administration was delaying a decision on listing Alaska's polar bears as an endangered species?";

Tech_Science_CandidatesOnScience[i++] = new Array("","How will the candidates invest in basic research?","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/i/msnbc/Components/Photo_StoryLevel/080107/slac.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "SLAC", "308", "466", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
Tech_Science_CandidatesOnScience[i-1].body = "<b><p style=\"font-size: 12pt; color: red\">How will the candidates invest in basic research?<p></b><p><br>Both candidates acknowledge the breakthroughs that come from basic scientific research and advocate greater support for it, which is perhaps welcome news for physicists fearing layoffs like the ones that  struck workers this year at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center in California. Obama, discouraged by the current underinvestment in research \"across the spectrum of scientific and engineering disciplines,\" pledges to increase funding \"at a rate that would double basic research budgets over the next decade.\" McCain wants to maximize investments in basic research while \"minimizing the bureaucratic requirements that eat away at the money designed for funding scientists and science.\" ";

Tech_Science_CandidatesOnScience[i++] = new Array("","How can science improve health and quality of life?","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/041019/041019_zeus_hmed_10a.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "Space.com", "211", "423", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
Tech_Science_CandidatesOnScience[i-1].body = "<b><p style=\"font-size: 12pt; color: red\">How can science improve health and quality of life?<p></b><p><br>Both candidates laud the advances of medical science already made and look forward to those yet to come. McCain is particularly impressed by telemedicine, which allows doctors to operate remotely with setups such as the one shown here. But the candidates acknowledge that increasing numbers of Americans are unable to access these benefits. Obama says his support for research at the National Institutes of Health \"may yield discoveries that reduce the cost of drug development, and we may produce new methods to prevent disease that are costly to treat.\" McCain says that through research, wellness programs and other advances \"we can make health care more affordable.\"";

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