I am a professor at a university, and like most of my colleagues I divide my time between teaching, administration, service work and basic research. Of all these activities it is the research that I and my students have dene that has been most important for the advancement of our respective careers. Research is indeed the life blood of science and the meeting of MSA in New Orleans this month, will be an occasion to celebrate this and to show each other what we have been doing since we saw each other in Cincinnati last year.

I am driven to write this column because some nights ago I watched a program on the problems surrounding the delivery of the impending “universal” health care package. On the stage were Senators Dole and Mitchell, along with people representing different opinions about the issues at hand.