Joshua Rosenau spends his days defending the teaching of evolution at 
Welcome to the new Thoughts from Kansas. I've moved a few of the posts I'm most proud of across from the old Blogger site, and I encourage you to check them out, that's probably the easiest way to get to know me, and don't be afraid to dig into all the archives back there.
By way of quick introduction, I'm a graduate student finishing my dissertation at the University of Kansas. That explains the second part of the title. I am not a native Kansan and never claimed to be, but this is where my thoughts originate.
My research is on the spatial distributions of species, and the ways that competition can restrict species from utilizing all the areas they could potentially occupy. Along the way I've spent a lot of time learning about ways that people predict species ranges using GIS systems and various statistical methods.
Much of which is probably news to long-time readers. I do that work for a living, and blogging is how I let off steam. You'll see a fairly diverse range of topics here, with an emphasis on local politics, analysis of national and international current events, and a wide range of scientific topics, historically mostly from beyond my own field.
I expect that, once the Kansas school board elections finally settle down with a pro-science Board, I'll be able to refocus this site on science, rather than the political science the Board has turned biology into. One feature I'll probably try to revive is some version of the now-defunct Evolution Project. That site has fallen into senescence because it just takes too much to keep track of even a small fraction of the research that comes out which relies on or demonstrates evolution at work. It was a worthy effort, and the move to Scienceblogs has inspired me to find some better way to demonstrate the same phenomenon.
So welcome to the new home here at Sb. Kick the tires, point out any housekeeping I forgot to undertake, and ask me about all the things I should have told you when I introduced myself.
I've tucked a few notes for long-time readers under the fold.
Long-time readers will notice a few changes. The comments here accept Typekey. That system lets you have a verified pseudonym across multiple sites, and it helps me screen out comment spam and other garbage. If you haven't got a Typekey account, I'd recommend signing up.
The other difference is that I now have this extended section. Those of you using an RSS reader will only get the first part, and if I convince you that the story is interesting, just click through. Because Sb gets their money from ad revenue, they really would like you to at least click through occasionally, as would I.
This extended entry will also make life easier for people with low-bandwidth connections. I can tuck nice pictures and other bandwidth hogs here, off of the front page so that you only download the pictures and videos you want to see.
Expect to see some new features and new directions in the next little while.
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Comments
Welcome to the neighborhood!
Posted by: coturnix | August 21, 2006 12:43 AM
Welcome, Josh--good to have you on board.
Posted by: Tara C. Smith | August 21, 2006 7:52 AM
Welcome!
Posted by: Mike the Mad Biologist | August 21, 2006 8:10 AM
Nice hat! Missed you at EvoBlog Fest I. Look for Fest II in January.
Posted by: Doc Bill | August 21, 2006 8:54 AM
Nice to visit you at your new place!
Posted by: Mike Silverman | August 21, 2006 9:11 AM
Congrats on the new digs!
Posted by: polychrome | August 21, 2006 10:35 AM
I was always entertained by your political commentary, Josh, but could you clarify how your "progessive politics" derives in any way from evolutinary theory.
If you can derive leftist views from evolution, you can almost certainly derive right wings views as well.
I suggest that neither is valid.
Posted by: James | August 21, 2006 11:08 AM
Who ever said I derived my political views from my scientific knowledge?
Posted by: Josh![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://scienceblogs.com/tfk/nav-commenters.gif)
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August 21, 2006 11:19 AM
I did.
Its an inference from the evidence, and your conflation of evolutionary theory and progessive politics: so it doesnt' matter if anyone else says it or not. If you do NOT derive your political views from scientific knowledge, I stand corrected.
But it seems that, for example, you definitely derive your political views on the present school board problems from your scientific knowledge.
Posted by: James | August 21, 2006 11:25 AM
James, you got it wrong. You stand corrected.
My view on the BoE and Kansas science standards comes from my belief that lying is wrong. The BoE was lying about science, and I oppose lying.
Posted by: Josh![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://scienceblogs.com/tfk/nav-commenters.gif)
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August 21, 2006 11:44 AM
Welcome on board.
Posted by: RPM | August 21, 2006 1:20 PM
Gratz Josh. Good Luck.
Posted by: James Taylor | August 21, 2006 3:57 PM
Josh, I note that you say you do not derive your political views from science.
Or ethical views?
So who says lying is wrong?
What if it works? I mean, evolutionially speaking, we have developed this capacity and it is still going strong.
Posted by: BA | August 21, 2006 5:12 PM
Congrats, Mr. Rosenau. Extra props for the surprising, well-groomed facial hair.
(If I had time, I would quantify the strong positive correlation between evo-blogging and beardedness.)
Posted by: Jim Anderson | August 21, 2006 9:57 PM
In TV Show,'Joe Friday' used to say-"Just the facts, ma'am!"
-"Just the facts!" So without further delay, "Go for them!"
Evolutionists may be dismayed that their favorite-"Big Bang"
just got a torpedo in it's mid-section, and has been "SUNK"
as a "Scientific Theory!" According to an Associated Press
article by Seth Borenstein, Aug 224, 2007--"Astronomers
Discover Immense Hole in the Universe"-He explains, "It is
1 BILLION LIGHT-YEARS across of NOTHING-...an expanse of
nearly 6 billion trillion miles of EMPTINESS!!" (Those who
understand the effects of an'Explosion in a Vacuum'-whereas,
it is like a balloon with equal-pressure radii,at all points
on the inside surface of the balloon.) Which now, we need to
point out-("If you have a bucket, with no bottom in it-'It
will NEVER HOLD WATER!") Likewise,with a immense HOLE on one
side of the Universe-that size, you can NOT HOPE to satisfy
the scientific LAWS of equal-pressure GASES, using your
pressures equally to ALL sides in the Vacuum of Space! The
"BIG BANG" Theory cannot Hold neither 'WATER', Nor 'GAS'--
(The "TIRE" just had a "Big BLOW-OUT!") Good Bye to the
Big-Bang Theory-(If it had 'Only' been a 'Billion Miles'-It
might have 'had a chance'-!!)
Question--How many College Science Professors wrote a book
on this 'Big-Bang'Theory, & endorsed it as their One-Truth?!
Posted by: Jerry McLaughlin | March 27, 2008 9:00 PM