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Joshua Rosenau spends his days defending the teaching of evolution at the National Center for Science Education. He is also a graduate student at the University of Kansas, completing a doctorate in the department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. When not modeling species distributions or battling creationists, 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.
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May 13, 2008
Category: Creationism
Hilzoy quotes Steve Benen, quoting Roll Call:After months working behind the scenes, House Republican leaders this week will finally start rolling out their rebranding effort aimed at rallying the party around a comprehensive policy and message agenda. Titled “Reasons to Believe,” the plan is meant to provide House Republicans with a sales pitch to voters by focusing on four issue areas: the economy, energy, health care and security. And already we've got a list of 8 myths about it. Yes, the Republican party has named its brilliant new plan after a crackpot creationist group, but at least it's an old-earth...
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Posted by Josh Rosenau at 3:03 AM • 1 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
May 12, 2008
Category: Chatter
May 23rd, according a random email I got today, is World Turtle Day. One presumes that it is supported by a turtle, which is itself supported by a turtle, and so on, all the way down. Either that, or it is a day to celebrate the inversion of dinghies....
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Posted by Josh Rosenau at 6:19 PM • 1 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
May 9, 2008
Category: Policy and Politics
In Kansas, it was a party line vote: Nay KS-1 Moran, Jerry [R] Aye KS-2 Boyda, Nancy [D] Aye KS-3 Moore, Dennis [D] Nay KS-4 Tiahrt, Todd [R]The bill, HR 1113, is a nonbinding resolution "celebrating the role of mothers in the United States and supporting the goals and ideals of Mother’s Day." The vote was on a motion to send the bill back for reconsideration and revision in committee. Tiahrt rose in protest, demanding first the vote on his motion to recommit, and requesting that the votes be recorded, because "because I’m sure every member wants their mother to...
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Posted by Josh Rosenau at 6:19 PM • 3 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
May 8, 2008
Category: Culture Wars
NCSE wants your help: The National Center for Science Education, a non-profit organization that defends the teaching of evolution in the public schools, seeks candidates for a position in its Public Information Project. Staff members in the Public Information Project provide advice and support to local activists faced with threats to evolution education in their communities. They also provide information on evolution, evolution education, and related issues to the general public, the press, and allied organizations, and contribute as needed to NCSE's publications, both in print and on-line. Excellent communication skills, both written and oral, are necessary, as are a...
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Posted by Josh Rosenau at 5:15 PM • 2 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Chatter
I'm away from the office, helping historians beat up on creationists, so enjoy some fine music in the mean time. "Fall Of The Pigs" by COLISEUM from the album No Salvation (2007, 2:55). "She's Got A New Spell" by Billy Bragg from the album Must I Paint You A Picture?: The Essential Billy Bragg (2003, 3:24). "Fine Day" by Lessick and Lincoln from the album Other Lives (5:18). "My Dream Blues" by St. Louis Jimmy Oden from the album St. Louis Jimmy Oden Vol. 1 1932-1944 (1994, 3:32). "High And Dry" by Radiohead from the album The Bends (1995, 4:17)....
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Posted by Josh Rosenau at 5:13 PM • 1 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
May 6, 2008
Category: Biology
This is the third of four videos NCSE commissioned to help explain how evolution works, and to help people understand the threats posed to accurate science education. It's remarkable what you can fit into a brief video. It's also worth noting that a lot won't fit into a video. If the issue of eye evolution is of interest, check out this recent article from LifeScientist. The Nature Reviews Neuroscience paper they discuss is more technical, but is a really good review....
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Posted by Josh Rosenau at 6:41 PM • 2 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
May 5, 2008
Category: Policy and Politics
Hillary has lost it. First, she signs on with John McCain's idiotic plan to eliminate gas taxes for a while. This is stupid, because it won't actually cut prices (the price of a good like gasoline is dominated by how much customers are willing to pay, and fiddling with the tax won't change demand, just how much money oil companies get and how much goes to the government). It's also stupid because it will starve the government of funds it uses to maintain roads, and infrastructure maintenance is always good, and is especially important as a form of counter-cyclical spending...
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Posted by Josh Rosenau at 9:46 PM • 9 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
May 2, 2008
Category: Culture Wars
I'm used to creationists. Every day, I get up, check my email, and get questions straight from the Index of Creationist Claims. Drawings of dinosaurs that prove people lived with dinosaurs, the young sun would have been too cold, the ocean has too much salt, etc. It's fun. I point people toward resources to clarify their scientific claims, then start digging into the real issue: their misunderstanding of the relation between science and religion. "No," I explain, "you don't have to give up your religious faith in order to accept the scientific evidence." And that sometimes leads to other discussions....
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Posted by Josh Rosenau at 8:20 PM • 12 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
May 1, 2008
Category: Policy and Politics
And so, 5 years after President Bush declared that "major combat operations in Iraq are over," the 4,374th coalition soldier has died in Iraq. The evidence continues to support my contention that the surge hasn't done much or anything to stem the tide of violence, and that the lull in violence our troops are seeing depends largely on the political maneuverings of Moqtada al-Sadr, Iran, and Iran-sympathizers in Iraq. What mission can we say we've accomplished there, other than the entirely unhoped-for, and widely-predicted, deaths of many soldiers, and the woundings of many, many more. The graph for wounded...
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Posted by Josh Rosenau at 6:50 PM • 1 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Policy and Politics
Governor Schwarzenegger addresses insider trading tycoon Michael Milken and a few of their richest friends: "…I always encourage the legislators in Sacramento, because some of them come from those little towns," Schwarzenegger said. "You know what I'm saying? They come from those little towns, and they don't have that vision yet of an airport or of a highway that maybe has 10 lanes. Or of putting a highway on top of a highway. They look at you and say, 'Well, we don't have that in my town, what are you talking about?' So they are kind of shocked when you...
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Posted by Josh Rosenau at 5:57 PM • 3 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
