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.
Various of the lefty blogs are suggesting that we only eat turkey on Thanksgiving because of tradition, and that turkey is actually a tasteless hunk of protein. I must conclude that Ezra, Matt, and the rest of these barbarians are insane. (Though Ezra's braising proposal isn't altogether bad.) Sure, an overcooked supermarket turkey will tend to be flavorless (especially breast meat). But that's why one buys a good turkey, not an abomination. It's why one brines the turkey, and it's why, if at all possible, one cooks it in a Weber grill. None of that propane crap; grilling is all...
Slacktivist talks about politics in Delaware, concluding: the state's governor-elect … ma[de] a shrewd, surprising and encouraging announcement of his own regarding his upcoming inaugural celebration: "Markell: Give time for your neighbors."Gov.-elect Jack Markell proposed an alternative to the traditional inaugural ball. No expensive gown or tux rentals necessary. But get ready to roll up those sleeves -- and the sooner, the better.Standing in the volunteers' room at the Food Bank of Delaware, Markell and Lt. Gov.-elect Matt Denn launched a fresh effort to help Delaware residents give their time and talents in service to their neighbors -- a volunteer...
This story is too good not to re-run (image h/t The Advocate). Sept. 11 loss leads mother to fight for gay rights: Seven years on, she still wakes up with a shock in the night, startled to remember that her only son is dead. Inside the bungalow in the mountains above Los Gatos where Alice Hoagland lives, the house with the "No on Proposition 8" sign and the American flag outside, glass bowls from "Good Morning America" and USA Rugby memorialize one of the heroes of 9/11 — Hoagland's son, Mark Bingham. There are DVDs of "United 93," the movie...
Armen Sedrakian makes a good point in a letter to the San Francisco Chronicle: Don't let companies grow 'too big to fail': Whatever happened to breaking up large corporations so they don't dominate the market? Instead of the Treasury Department bailing out corporations, why doesn't the antitrust division of the federal government break up corporations? At the very least, the bailouts should come with breakups rather than mergers to prevent these "too big to fail" problems in the future.I can't see an argument against this. That isn't to say that an argument doesn't exist, but it strikes me as a...
Via Edge of the West, we are reminded that today is the anniversary of Lee Harvey Oswald's last dance, memorialized in this famous photograph: At least, that's what I learned in school. Kathy tells it differently, but she doesn't explain why people claim Oswald and Ruby were acting in concert. This photograph does. H/T PBS, and George Mahlberg, creator of Oswald/Ruby as a Rock Band, 1996. Adapted from original photograph by Bob Jackson, 1963....
The House Energy and Commerce Committee is one of the most powerful committees in the House of Representatives. It's especially important as we look at climate change legislation and fuel economy (both of which current chairman, John Dingell, has delayed and watered down). Newly selected Chairman Henry Waxman will be much more aggressive in pursuing good legislation on those fronts, but that's not the only reason to be excited about his ascendancy. Waxman made his name as an investigator, running the House Government Oversight Committee like a machine. His investigations dug into the worst abuses of the Bush Administration, and...
Listening to the Texas TEKS hearings, I note that a speaker is decrying the "eliticism" of his biologist critics. Isn't it a little counterproductive to decry elitism even as demonstrating that one is ignorant of basic vocabulary? Or am I being eliticist?...
I want to add a point to my response to the Disco. Inst.'s claim that TFN's survey of Texas biology teachers is a "push-poll" and "jackbooted thuggery." That language is unbecoming and unprofessional, but we have all come to expect that from the Discovery Institute. It is also hypocritical. I know they read TfK, so they know why it is inaccurate and inappropriate to call the TFN survey "a push-poll," but here they go again, writing that "TFN is parading a push-poll survey of scientists they did recently." It still isn't a push poll. And the Disco. crew should know...
Joshua Rosenau spends his days defending the teaching of evolution at 
