CNN.com – Kansas moves to stem role of evolution in teaching – Aug 10, 2005 OK, could have been a LOT worse. They could have mandated that Intelligent Design be taught as an equal theory, or at all. They could have mandated that biology text books have a sticker saying “Evolution is only a theory” [...]
READ MORE »Monthly archives for August, 2005
Skepticality
Sorry for the tone of my previous post…sometimes I just get so frustrated, and even sorrowful, at what I see as blatant and stubborn refusal to live in the real world. Angry and sad. Anyway, just got into PodCasting (well sheesh, I fell into blogging, it was the next logical step,) and in addition to [...]
READ MORE »Evolution and Christianity
From Time magazine. Reprinted without permission: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1090921,00.html FRANCIS COLLINS Director, National Human Genome Research Institute I see no conflict in what the Bible tells me about God and what science tells me about nature. Like St. Augustine in A.D. 400, I do not find the wording of Genesis 1 and 2 to suggest a scientific [...]
READ MORE »Lament for Ignorance (Creation and Evolution)
Just started reading some of the blurbs on Time.com regarding their newest edition dealing with the “Evolution Wars.” http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1090909,00.html Read something that has once again driven me to unreasonable anger: Sometime in the late fall, unless a federal court intervenes, ninth-graders at the public high school in rural Dover, Pa., will witness an unusual scene [...]
READ MORE »Love Song To The Universe
This is sort of a continuation of my last post: New Planets and Edges of Solar Systems God I love this universe so much! It’s so amazingly awesome, in the actual sense of the word, I can’t imagine why anyone would want to stick their nose in Genesis and not remove it. The wonders and [...]
READ MORE »New Planets and Edges of Solar Systems
God, the universe is such a mind-bogglingly amazing thing! First, I’m sure (hoping) you’ve heard of the potential 10th planet. Supposedly discovered in 2003, recently confirmed in existance, and now waiting for confirmation from the International Astronimical Union for its status as a “planet”. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3511678.stm#graphic A very cool discovery for the solar system, but somewhat [...]
READ MORE »The American Taliban
Interesting link: http://www.reandev.com/taliban/
READ MORE »That Shirt Is So Gay!
Something I just came across today (I have no idea how I’ve missed it thus far). Here’s the most often quoted passage from the Bible that condemns homosexuality: Lev: 18:22 (NRSV) 22 You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination. Deut: 22:5 (NRSV) 5 A woman shall not [...]
READ MORE »Daily Biblical Reality Check
Nothing like a summary to see how absurd the Old Testament is. Check out Deuteronomy for Skeptics: http://www.skepticsannotatedbible.com/dt/intro.html C’mon, can’t we just accept that the Old Testament was an ancient and ignorant and violent people’s mythology and just move on?
READ MORE »Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince review
I finished Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince last night. Very good, not the best one, though. Like the movie of “Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers,” “Half-Blood Prince” feels like a 2nd act after the real establishment of action (book 5, “Order of the Phoenix”) and what will be the final and climactic [...]
READ MORE »Irreducible Complexity Pulls Out Its Own Rug
Holy moly! I’m sure I’ve touched on this idea in past criticisms of Irreducible Complexity, but check out this very well written, succinct challenge in the behind-the-scenes discussion of the Wikipedia topic: “What designed the designer?” By raising the question of the need for a designer for objects with irreducible complexity, ID also raises the [...]
READ MORE »God Given Morality = Hell Insurance = Hypocracy and Inhumanity
So I was listening to NPR on my way to work today, and they had an interview with Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum (http://santorum.senate.gov/public/). At one point he says that Intelligent Design SHOULD be taught in schools (*Nurk!*) but…not in the arena of the science classroom. (*Gasp!*) Wow, OK, I can support that. Very surprising comment [...]
READ MORE »Revealing of the Lambs
From CNN’s article on DefCon (http://www.defcon.org/): http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/08/02/defcon.hackers.ap/index.html The Internet has become “crime ridden slums,” said Phil Zimmermann, a well-known cryptographer who spoke at the conference. Hackers and the computer security experts who make a living on tripping up systems say security would be better if people were less lazy. To make their point, they pilfered [...]
READ MORE »Canine Copy – Humans Soon To Come
First dog successfully cloned: http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/science/08/03/dog.clone.ap/index.html He’s 1 out of 1000 attempts…but a success. And in 10 years we have cloned several mammalian animals. I anticipate within 2 years we’ll get news of a cloned simian. A monkey, an ape, a chimp. Once that’s done…humans are a few genes away…. It doesn’t matter that the US [...]
READ MORE »Violence, OK. Sex? Sue The Bastages!
This is rediculous: http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/fun.games/07/27/game.lawsuit.ap/index.html So, the lady bought the game when it was rated “M” for Mature (17+) for her 14 year old grandson. But when the media exploded with news of some sex in it (simulated sex with fully clothed animated characters by the way,) she decides to sue? What in the blazes heck [...]
READ MORE »Who SHOULD Make the Decisions Based On Life Value?
Back over on NewSojourn the discussion regarding personhood, abortion, and society continues. And since I spent too much time babbling a post over there, I thought I’d copy it here for all to see my foolish babbling. =) But go over there to read the discussion in context: http://newsojourn.blogspot.com/2005/07/personhood.html A reply to a reply to [...]
READ MORE »Personhood and Value of Human Life
NewSojourner has a blog regarding abortion: http://newsojourn.blogspot.com/2005/07/personhood.html I posted a reply…that unfortunately for Mark’s blog is more of a manifesto than a reply. =) So I thought I’d repost it here: “If any human being can be disposed of simply because he or she doesn’t look just right or can’t do what others can do, [...]
READ MORE »Sneaky, Slippery Bush Does it Again
Bush uses recess appointment to name Bolton as UN ambassador: http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/08/01/bolton.appointment/index.html I actually didn’t think he’d do it. I actually, foolishily, gave Bush the benefit of the doubt and actually didn’t think he’d be so callous and brazen and arrogant as to use yet ANOTHER recess appointment to get someone into a position Congress isn’t [...]
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