February 11, 2008
SCIENCE is useful but that is not all it is. Science can be uplifting, thrilling, life-enhancing. Originally broadcast on Britain's Channel 4 in 1996, Break the Science Barrier follows the Oxford Biologist Richard Dawkins as he meets with people who have experienced the wonders of science first-…
February 10, 2008
Michael Behe made a guest appearance in Beaver County the other day to engage in a debate on intelligent Design vs. Real Science. He got interviewed by a local reporter, who posed questions to both Behe and his antagonist. Here I provide a few excerpts for your amusement.
First, you may be…
February 10, 2008
This is your best chance to own a pristine copy of a Virgin Carnival, on it's very first round on the internet.
Berry Go Round is a carnival about plants, and you can find the first installment here, at Seeds Aside.
February 10, 2008
Science Debate 2008 got a writeup in Business Week.
When most of the Republican candidates for President proclaimed that they did not believe in evolution during a debate last year, astrophysicist Lawrence Krauss was one of many who were aghast. The Case Western University professor and best-…
February 10, 2008
What?! Is Florida totally full of morons, or what?
The Bay District School Board will vote on Wednesday on a resolution that waters down the proposed state standards for life science education. Please go to the Channel 7 web site where this story is posted and add your comments along side some…
February 10, 2008
Vague reports are circulating that Ron Paul is quitting his bid for president. He wrote this letter to supporters.
The way I read the letter, Paul is cutting back his campaign but intents to remain a thorn in the side for McCain. But Wonkette has a different take:
It is a tragic day for the Ron…
February 10, 2008
Secret information available only on, well, major news outlets, seems to indicate that Microsoft has backed off a recent attempt at a hostile takeover of Yahoo.
Many outlets are echoing a subscribers-only report in the Wall Street Journal that Yahoo's board has decided to reject Microsoft's…
February 10, 2008
The provocative title of this post is the title of a new book, by Ken Ham (founder of the absurd Creation Museum, in the woeful state of Kentucky) . Charles ware is co-author.
The book came out in November, 2007, but is receiving beefed up publicity, presumably to coincide with Darwin Month and…
February 10, 2008
When reading The Voyage it is impossible to miss the observation that much of the time Darwin was engaged in adolescent boy behavior: Pulling the heads off insects, noting how long they would wiggle after cut in half, closely examining the ooze and guts, occupied much of his time. Obviously,…
February 10, 2008
Men are largely useless, and worse, detrimental to normal operation of a society. But they have been retained because they were the only known source of sperm. Not any more.
British scientists are ready to turn female bone marrow into sperm, cutting men out of the process of creating life.
The…
February 10, 2008
A very important and truly wonderful paper in Nature described a tour-de-force analysis of the Mammalian Evolutionary Record, and draws the following two important conclusions:
The diversification of the major groups of mammals occurred millions of years prior to the KT boundary event; and
The…
February 9, 2008
I've not been commenting on the comments on this post about the Myers - Rue debate, but I have been reading them with great interest. The following, while not addressing most of the comments, arises from them.
In this post, I mentioned Loyal Rue's linear hierarchy of ... I'm not sure what he…
February 9, 2008
After the Sunday service in Westminster Chapel, where worshippers were exhorted to wage "the culture war" in the Second World World War spirit of Sir Winston Churchill, cabbie James McLean delivered his verdict on Charles Darwin's theory of evolution.
"Evolution is a lie, and it's being taught in…
February 9, 2008
... is a book by Charles Darwin. But it is also a web page at The Guardian (UK).
150 years ago, Charles Darwin unveiled his theory of natural selection. To mark this anniversary we bring you the definitive guide to the naturalist's great book, with extracts from key chapters and essays from…
February 9, 2008
With maverick flair and a strategist's disdain for accepted wisdom, Jaime Lerner re-invented urban space in his native Curitiba, Brazil. Along the way he managed to revolutionize bus transit, awaken green consciousness in a populace accustomed to litter and blight, and change the way city planners…
February 9, 2008
Bad News: It's a Big Lizard!!
According to a report noted in Evolving in Kansas, Komodo Dragons have been hatched in Sedgwick County without fertilization by a male.
There are two of them, both males. (Isn't that interesting?) ...
I think they should name them Jesus and Brian.
February 9, 2008
What do you eat when you are traveling the world in search of truth about the natural world? Most of the time Darwin ate pretty well...
While traveling through the interior near Rio, Darwin makes note of some of the agricultural practices of the region. He is visiting farms ... plantations ..…
February 9, 2008
Marshall Helberger writes an interesting editorial in the Timberjay, a northern Minnesota newspaper, about creationist tactics.
As editor of the Timberjay's editorial pages, there are few things that have been more frustrating over the years than determining how to handle this perennial debate…
February 8, 2008
The Ugly American Company, Microsoft, will now have a third investigation run by the EU regarding their smarmy "lobbying" (read, "bribery and coercion" tactics during the OOXML file format fight last year.
"The investigation will be especially welcome in standards circles, due to the wide range…
February 8, 2008
The Texas Acadamy of Science has come out with a statement about creationism in Texas schools science classes, called "Texas Academy of Science Position Against the Inclusion of Creationism and Design Concepts in the Science Curricula in Texas Schools"
You can get the PDF here.
Among other things,…
February 8, 2008
From the Wildlife Conservation Society:
Unless major conservation measure are enacted, Madagascar's turtles and tortoises will continue to crawl steadily toward extinction, according to a recent assessment by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and other groups. With their habitat shrinking and…
February 8, 2008
Despite a love and fascination for Rome dating to his days as an architecture student, David Macaulay found the path to his book Rome Antics took some unusual (and frustrating) turns. Through failed pop-up designs, scribbled out title possibilities, surreal sketchbook pages (think "Piranesi meets…
February 8, 2008
Guitarist and singer Raul Midon performs "All the Answers" in a world premiere at TED2007. "This is a song I wrote about the meaning of technology," he says, and he asks his listeners: What will we do with all this information we have at our fingertips? He follows with the sprightly "Tembererana."
February 8, 2008
Last night, the Campus Atheists, Skeptics and Humanists club (C.A.S.H.) presented a debate between PZ Myers and Loyal Rue on the question: Can religion and science co-exist? I witnessed this event and would like to tell you what happened.
I want to begin with a message to PZ Myers: Thank you, PZ…
February 7, 2008
I came across this chilling misanthropic missive in support of home schooling.
The greatest pitfalls of public education are the humanistic philosophies taught at the expense of biblical truth, ungodly teachers and classmates seeking to influence our children, and the absence of spiritual or moral…
February 7, 2008
This person needs a job.
This individual seeks an executive position.
He will be available in January 2009, and is willing to relocate.
(Resume below the fold)
RESUME
GEORGE W. BUSH
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, DC 20520
EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:
Law Enforcement:
I was arrested in…
