You will notice that it lacks definiteness; that it lacks purpose; that it lacks coherence; that it lacks a subject to talk about; that it is loose and wabbly; that it wanders around; that it loses itself early and does not find itself any more. --Mark Twain
Joshua Rosenau spends his days defending the teaching of evolution at the National Center for Science Education. He is formerly a doctoral candidate at the University of Kansas, in the department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. When not battling creationists or modeling species ranges, he writes about developments in progressive politics and the sciences.
The opinions expressed here are his own, do not reflect the official position of the NCSE. Indeed, older posts may no longer reflect his own official position.
A brief note before a New Year's dinner. The 3000th US soldier has died in Iraq. I suppose that means it's 2007 in Iraq, but the landmark fatality will be mourned in the United States as we swallow the dregs of 2006. I hope that future generations remember last November's elections as a turning point, but this sad milestone in the unswerving course we've taken in Iraq is a reminder that change is not instantaneous, and there will probably never be a single moment we can point to and say "That's the end of that era." So let's celebrate tonight...
A few years ago, a number of small children got sick from E. coli infections; the bacteria were traced to petting zoos. Ms. TfK and I both thought that a smart Congresscritter could win the suburban mothers' votes by requiring better scrutiny of hygiene at petting zoos. Little did we know that within years, we'd be seeing similar problems emerging from our spinach and green onions (and undoubtedly other veggies soon). The Baltimore Sun dug in and discovered the FDA complaining that it's research on food safety had stalled: Recurring outbreaks of food-borne illness from contaminated produce are "unacceptable" in...
A source tells the Washington Post that Uafter much pressure, the Feds will be listing the Polar Bear as a "threatened" species: The Bush administration has decided to propose listing the polar bear as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, putting the U.S. government on record as saying that global warming could drive one of the world's most recognizable animals out of existence.This is a remarkable step, and it is not the least bit surprising that the administration is announcing this between Christmas and New Years, when the minimum number of people read newspapers or the Federal Register. There's little...
The Wichita Eagle's staff ask "Could private savings accounts be a bipartisan reform?" I cannot identify the bipartisanship in their text, though: I was surprised when President Bush said last week that Social Security reform was one area on which he hoped to reach an agreement with the new Congress. … But Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., also promoted private savings accounts as a bipartisan solution in a Washington Post op-ed piece this week.Just saying that it's bipartisan does not make it so. Two Republicans are pushing this, that is not bipartisan. Even if Joe Lieberman and a couple of House...
Superbad no more, James Brown, has passed away. Benn Loxo has some tracks from the Godfather of Soul in Africa. Fluxblog writes that "James Brown's greatest gift to the world was his ability to express an undiluted yet highly stylized sexuality via a funk so intense and visceral that it served as the foundation for entire genres of music," and links to several sources of Brownian music. Evolgen jumps in with some videos, and BoingBoing is a linkfest. All I can say is that James Brown deserves all the credit he has ever gotten for making great music, and for...
Little known fact: Kansas is (apparently) the world's leading producer of helium, accounting for 4 billion cubic feet per year out of the world's production of 6 billion cubic feet. Alas, production problems in Algeria and Qatar are leaving global shortages, as are problems with the helium pipeline leading from Bushton, KS to Amarillo, TX: Industry experts aren't sure exactly when the shortage will end. Balloon retailers, which use 8 percent of helium supply annually, are hoping normal production levels return in time for Valentine's Day, typically one of the busiest flower and balloon sales days of the year.Helium is...
Ivo Daalder examines Candidate Bush's critiques of Clinton-era foreign policy with President Bush's foreign policy. You can imagine the result when I tell you that the first item he quotes from the 2000 GOP foreign policy platform is "The [Clinton] administration has run America’s defenses down over the decade through inadequate resources, promiscuous commitments, and the absence of a forward-looking military strategy." It's like looking in a mirror....
Within hours of Phill Kline's last attempt to intimidate Wichita-area doctor George Tiller, a state judge tossed out 30 misdemeanor charges. Judge Paul Clark agreed to local district attorney Nola Foulston's request, finding that Kline had filed those indictments "without invitation, request or acquiescence of the duly elected and authorized District Attorney." And so Phill Kline will end his term in office the way he always operated: violating the law to burnish his culture warrior credentials. Maybe Operation Rescue will name him Man of the Year next year also. The charges were dismissed without prejudice, so Foulston or incoming AG...
Having been demoted to a county district attorney in no small part because of his panty-sniffing obsession with patient records from family planning clinics, Kansas Attorney General Phill Kline has decided that one of his final official acts will be charging Dr. George Tiller with 30 misdemeanor charges. The allegations involve whether Tiller properly filed forms explaining the reasons why women needed abortions in the third trimester. Kansas law allows third trimester abortions only if the woman faces injury to a "major bodily function." Tiller's attorney denies any wrongdoing, and says that Kline "has chosen to engage in a malicious...
Joshua Rosenau spends his days defending the teaching of evolution at 
