Archive for the 'science' Category
Judgment Day Available Online
jewel November 15th, 2007
In case you missed Judgment Day the other night, you can now view it online for free. I can’t wait until it’s available on DVD!
Judgment Day was absolutely fascinating. Much better than any biology class I ever took. If biology class had been this good, I may have just made a career of it!
Judgment Day: Intelligent Design on Trial
jewel November 10th, 2007
Some very cool news – on Tuesday, November 13th, at 8pm PBS will be airing a new NOVA program about the Kitzmiller vs. Dover trial on teaching ID in public schools. Check your local listings.
For more information, see the press release or click on the graphic to be taken to the NOVA site on the program.
edited to add: The NY Times also has a pretty good write up on Judgment Day.
40 Days and 40 Nights
jewel October 6th, 2007
I just finished reading 40 Days and 40 Nights: Darwin, Intelligent Design, God, OxyContin®, and Other Oddities on Trial in Pennsylvania by Matthew Chapman, a great great grandson of Charles Darwin.
We actually got to meet Matthew Chapman last weekend at the Atheist Alliance International conference and he is a very down to earth fellow. When I first read about who he was I thought – “Great great grandson of Charles Darwin – how cool is that?!”, but of course we cannot choose our ancestors and he is a very approachable guy, so although I do still think it would be cool to be a direct descendant of such a great historical figure, my rational side does take over and it isn’t such a big deal.
But I digress…
Anyway, I just finished his book on the Dover, PA trial “Kitzmiller v. Dover” where a school board – who were neither educators, nor schooled in science – bent on introducing the teaching of Intelligent Design (aka Creationism in a Labcoat) in their biology classrooms was given the smackdown by a George W. Bush appointee judge. Continue Reading »
Maybe She Will Get My Vote
jewel October 5th, 2007
I’ve often had conflicting opinions of Hillary Clinton. On one hand, she’s very ambitious – some would say opportunistic. On the other hand, she’s highly intelligent and she sees the big picture and understands the details. Of all of the Democratic candidates that have a snowball’s chance in hell of getting the nomination, she might just be the one I would prefer. She’s not as liberal as I would like – neither was Bill, but I think she has the most potential to bring this country out of the hole of shame that Bush has dragged us into. Continue Reading »
Atheist Alliance International 2007 Convention
jewel September 30th, 2007
We just got back from the AAI convention in Arlington. It was really an amazing 2 days. The guest speakers included Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett, Sam Harris, Christopher Hitchens, Julia Sweeney, Eugenie Scott, Matthew Chapman, Edward Tabash, Pastor Deacon Fred, Ayaan Hirsi Ali and many others. The lineup was really quite spectacular.
Security was tight. There was a bomb sniffing dog and everyone that was able to get into the main ballroom was scanned by metal detectors. More on this later. Continue Reading »
Not Just a Theory
jewel July 23rd, 2007
On the rare occasions that I talk with people who do not “believe in” evolution they usually use the “just a theory” argument. From this, I get the impression that they
- do not understand what a scientific theory is and
- don’t really know much about evolution.
Nothing, and I mean nothing gives away a person’s scientific illiteracy more than the phrase “evolution is just a theory”. A theory in science is a very high honor, indeed, and the amount of evidence and testing that is required to back it up is enormous. The Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection, for the past 148 years, has been rigorously tested and every piece of scientific evidence available backs it up. Evolution, is a fact.
I’ve often tried explaining the difference between the scientific term and the vernacular, but I’m not sure I’ve had much success. Luckily, there is a concise website that explains it very clearly: www.notjustatheory.com. It’s a breath of fresh air!
Goodnight Mr Wizard
jewel June 13th, 2007
I just read that Don Herbert died yesterday. It’s a sad day. Mr Wizard inspired generations of children to learn about science. He showed kids that science doesn’t have to be about stuffy laboratories and labcoats. This world needs more people like him.
