Al Gore on Science and Censorship...

The Pacific Institute blog for Dec. 14th discusses Al Gore's presentation at the 2006 American Geophysical Union's Fall Meeting in San Francisco: "He [Gore] reflected on the reports out this week that USGS scientists are being censored. 'How have we as a nation become so vulnerable to this kind of behavior? How have we as a nation become so desensitized that attempts to censor scientists' fail to spark 'widespread outrage?' 'We don't want to know.' If politicians already want to know what policies they want to implement, Gore said, the science is inconvenient. Gore then shifted gears from documenter of attacks on science to that of the General Patton of geophysicists. 'It is time in my opinion for scientists to pay a different role ... defending the integrity of scientific processes. It is time for scientists to consider taking a more active communicating role.' The Vice President then rejected the prevailing wisdom of Washington: that it must wait for a disaster before it reacts. 'As you know,' he said, 'the climate crisis can not be dealt with that way.' If scientists lead, even those currently disengaged become more likely to follow, he suggested. 'We must disenthrall ourselves from a prison of illusions.' The thousands of scientists in the room were supercharged, as were the hundreds in the overflow room watching the closed-circuit presentation. Gore made defending science feel like a cause célèbre. Filing out of the Marriot basement, many were hanging on the would-be President's closing words: 'In the United States, the will to act is a renewable resource.' ..."

Source: http://scienceblogs.com/integrityofscience/2006/12/al_gore_on_censorship_and_the.php

Was Santa Fe the Site of an Ancient Asteroid Impact?

John Fleck of the Albuquerque Journal reported on Dec. 17th that "There is not much to say yet about the day a giant asteroid— or maybe a comet— hit what is now Santa Fe. The impact was certainly enormous, but it is hard to say how big it was, or how long ago, or how massive a crater it made in what is now northern New Mexico. Answers to those questions will come. For now, what is remarkable is that, thanks to the curiosity and persistence of a retired Santa Fe geologist Tim McElvain, scientists can say anything at all about the event. McElvain was walking his terrier, Tintin, on a trail in the Santa Fe foothills two years ago when he spotted an odd bit of rock. ... The discovery had its public unveiling at a scientific meeting in Philadelphia in late October. But scientists' current understanding of the event is more hole than doughnut. 'It's a very early stage here,' said Wolf Elston, geology professor emeritus at the University of New Mexico. Elston, who has traveled to South Africa to study the rocks formed by what may be one of Earth's great impact craters, was the first expert to give McElvain's discovery a serious look. He was convinced as soon as he saw the rock. At 78, Elston is one of the grand old men of New Mexico geology. He uses a cane, but that did not stop him on a recent field trip from scrambling through the snow and up the hillsides to look at the remarkable rocks McElvain found. ..."

Source: http://www.abqjournal.com/scitech/521814nm12-17-06.htm (subscription)

Who's the Better Bulldog, Huxley or Dawkins?

Mark Vernon has written a piece called "Thomas Henry Huxley: a better bulldog" for Spiked .com (Dec. 18th). Vernon writes "Richard Dawkins has published a rant against religion. He could learn much from an earlier Darwinian bulldog, Thomas Henry Huxley. ...Today’s Darwinian bulldog is Richard Dawkins. The parallels between him and Huxley are striking. But although both are passionate advocates of evolution, and have made distinctive contributions to the theory, Dawkin’s new book, The God Delusion, shows Huxley to be different in one key respect. In a word: God. For while Huxley, too, hoped that science would scotch the mysteries and authority that he believed Christianity perpetuated to the detriment of human progress, he knew that science itself was not the final answer. The term he coined in 1869 is one now frequently forgotten in the tussle between science and religion. It is the word agnosticism. His neologism was meant as a rebuke to all ‘gnostics’ who dogmatically present their beliefs as truth. He wrote: ‘In matters of the intellect, do not pretend that conclusions are certain which are not demonstrated or demonstrable.’ This is important because it expresses an intellectual humility. With respect to science, it acknowledges that when it comes to the big questions in life, what science has established ‘amounts at present to very little’ – Huxley’s words – compared with the wisdom of, say, history and literature. With respect to religion, it acknowledges the ethical idealism of the life of faith: Huxley was theologian enough to realise that the question of God was one on which he had to remain a committed agnostic. Dawkins is not an agnostic. In the new book he is a proselytising atheist. And he tries to claim Huxley for his own, saying he would have become an atheist in time. This does Huxley a grave disservice. ... Dawkins accuses believers of having minds ‘hijacked by religion’. Replace the word religion with science, and he could be writing about himself. Intolerance leads him to fundamentalist rhetoric. He is entitled to his opinion. But it is time to claim the debate back from the extremists – scientific or religious. What would be progressive would be a revival of the humanly richer, intellectually humbler and socially tolerant terrain of the committed agnostic. ..."

Source: http://www.spiked-online.com/index.php?/site/article/2506/

Georgia Creationist Sticker Case is Settled...

The AP reports on Dec. 20th that "A suburban school board that put stickers in high school science books saying evolution is "a theory, not a fact" abandoned its legal battle to keep them Tuesday after four years. The Cobb County board agreed in federal court never to use a similar sticker or to undermine the teaching of evolution in science classes. In return, the parents who sued over the stickers agreed to drop all legal action. 'We certainly think that it's a win not just for our clients but for all students in Cobb County and, really, all residents of Georgia,' said Beth Littrell of the American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia. ..."

Source: http://www.wilmingtonstar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061220/NEWS/612200403/-1/State

Eye Color Genetics Breakthrough...

The BBC reported on Dec. 20th that "Scientists have made a breakthrough in their understanding of the genetics behind human eye colour. They found that just a few 'letters' out of the six billion that make up the genetic code are responsible for most of the variation in human eye colour. The research, by a team of scientists from Queensland, Australia, will appear in a forthcoming issue of the American Journal of Human Genetics. The findings are based on a genetic study of nearly 4,000 individuals. Differences in eye colour are largely down to 'single nucleotide polymorphisms' (SNPs - pronounced 'snips'); variations in the sequence of letters that make up a single strand of human DNA. ..."

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6195091.stm

Wacky Website 'O the Week...

How does Science stack up with Norse Mythology? Don't get too cocky, you scientists!

Source: http://thepaincomics.com/weekly041229a.htm

Tips on using Google Books...

This tidbit from James Randi's Dec. 22nd update describes some secret tips for getting the best results from Google's new Books search engine. Randi's recommendation: "I’ve used it, and it’s been very useful to me…"

Source: http://www.randi.org/jr/2006-12/122106wise.html#i9

Posted December 15th, 2006

Bush policy angers USGS scientists...

Juliet Eilperin of the Washington Post reports on Dec. 14th that "A new Bush administration policy for reviewing scientific documents before publication has angered some U.S. Geological Survey scientists, who say the elaborate internal review of their work may impede them from conveying information to the public. The new requirements, which were unveiled in July but are still being put into practice, call for staff scientists to submit all reports and prepared talks to managers to determine if they meet the agency's scientific standards. They also require researchers to alert the agency press office of any work involving 'potential high visibility products or policy-sensitive issues.'..."

Source: http://www.twincities.com/mld/pioneerpress/news/local/16234021.htm

Scientists Angered by Closure of 6 Federal Libraries...

The Los Angeles Times reported on Dec. 8th that "The NASA library in Greenbelt, Md., was part of John C. Mather's daily routine for years leading up to the astrophysicist's sharing of the 2006 Nobel Prize for shedding new light on the big bang theory of creation. He researched existing space hardware and instrumentation there while designing a satellite that collected data for his prize-winning discovery. So when he learned that federal officials were planning to close the library, Mather was stunned. 'It is completely absurd,' he said. 'The library is a national treasure. It is probably the single strongest library for space science and engineering in the universe.' Mather is one of thousands of people who critics say could lose access to research materials as the government closes and downsizes libraries that house collections vital to scientific investigation and the enforcement of environmental laws. ..."

Source: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-libraries8dec08,0,242958.story?track=tothtml

New Scientist visits "The God Lab"...

Celeste Biever of New Scientist reports on Dec. 16th "Pay a visit to the Biologic Institute and you are liable to get a chilly reception. 'We only see people with appointments,' states the man who finally responds to my persistent knocks. Then he slams the door on me. I am standing on the ground floor of an office building in Redmond, Washington, the Seattle suburb best known as home town to Microsoft. What I'm trying to find out is whether the 1-year-old institute is the new face of another industry that has sprung up in the area - the one that has set out to try to prove evolution is wrong. ... The reticence cloaks an unorthodox agenda. 'We are the first ones doing what we might call lab science in intelligent design,' says George Weber, the only one of Biologic's four directors who would speak openly with me. 'The objective is to challenge the scientific community on naturalism.' ... Last week I learned that following his communication with New Scientist, Weber has left the board of the Biologic Institute. Douglas Axe, the lab's senior researcher and spokesman, told me in an email that Weber 'was found to have seriously misunderstood the purpose of Biologic and to have misrepresented it'. Axe's portrayal of the Biologic Institute's purpose excludes religious connotation. He says that the lab's main objective 'is to show that the design perspective can lead to better science', although he allows that the Biologic Institute will 'contribute substantially to the scientific case for intelligent design'. ..."

Source: http://www.newscientist.com/channel/opinion/mg19225824.000-intelligent-design-the-god-lab.html

Diabetes breakthrough in Canada?

Tom Blackwell of the National Post (CA) reported on Dec. 15th that "In a discovery that has stunned even those behind it, scientists at a Toronto hospital say they have proof the body's nervous system helps trigger diabetes, opening the door to a potential near-cure of the disease that affects millions of Canadians. Diabetic mice became healthy virtually overnight after researchers injected a substance to counteract the effect of malfunctioning pain neurons in the pancreas. 'I couldn't believe it,' said Dr. Michael Salter, a pain expert at the Hospital for Sick Children and one of the scientists. 'Mice with diabetes suddenly didn't have diabetes any more.' ..."

Source: http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/story.html?id=a042812e-492c-4f07-8245-8a598ab5d1bf&k=63970

Wacky Website 'O the Week...

It's a one-stop-shop, with articles on geocentrism, creationism, the NASA Apollo Hoax, even 9-11 conspiracies!

Source: http://www.geocentricperspective.com/

Creationism: http://www.geocentricperspective.com/page19.htm

NASA Apollo Hoax: http://www.geocentricperspective.com/page81.htm

Wacky links page (9-11+): http://www.geocentricperspective.com/page86.htm

Posted December 8th, 2006

"Academic Freedom" is the new Creationism...

The Discovery Institute's "News" section reports on Dec. 1st that "The Ouachita Parish School Board in Louisiana drew praise this week for adopting a Resolution on Teacher Academic Freedom to Teach Scientific Evidence Regarding Controversial Scientific Subjects. The policy states in part that 'teachers shall be permitted to help students understand, analyze, critique and review in an objective manner the scientific strengths and weaknesses of existing scientific theories pertinent to the course being taught.' 'We’re very happy to see them take a stand protecting the academic freedom of teachers to answer student questions and discuss scientific issues in the classroom,' said Casey Luskin, an attorney and education policy specialist with Discovery Institute's Center for Science and Culture. ..."

Source: http://www.evolutionnews.org/2006/12/local_louisiana_school_board_p.html

But, Progress inOhio...

The AP reported on Dec. 6th that "Gov. Bob Taft said the four people he appoints to the state school board before he leaves office will support science lessons that focus on evolution and not intelligent design. 'I want people who are really committed to teaching good science in school, and I think that intelligent design does not play a role in the science curriculum,' he told The Columbus Dispatch for a story Wednesday. ..."

Source: http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=1699907&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=3.8.1

Cell Phone Use NOT Linked to Cancer Risk...

ConsumerAffairs.com reports on Dec. 5th that "Long or short-term cell phone use is not associated with increased cancer risk, according to a study in current issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. The latest findings contradict the widely published analysis of two Swedish studies which reported an increased risk of brain tumors linked to use of wireless phones over more than 10 years. ..."

Source: http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2006/12/cell_phones_cancer.html

Sloan: "Doctors aren't chaplains" ...

Richard P. Sloan, director of the behavioral medical program at Columbia University Medical Center and the New York State Psychiatric Institute, opined on "misguided effort to meld religion and medicine" in the Dec. 2nd Los Angeles Times. Sloan writes "A concerted effort is underway to make religious practices part of clinical medicine. About two-thirds of U.S. medical schools now offer some form of training on the role of religion and spirituality in medicine, according to Dr. Harold Koenig of Duke University. ... Of course, religion is not utterly irrelevant to patients. If it were, hospitals would not have chaplains and chapels. But before organized medicine decides that religion has any value in physical healing, several things ought to be considered. First, the scientific evidence supposedly linking religious practices with better health is shockingly weak — so bad, in fact, that if we were discussing drugs, the Food and Drug Administration would have to find them unsafe and ineffective. Most research studies that claim to show how religious involvement is associated with better health fail to rule out other factors that might account for the relationship. ..."

Source: http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-oe-sloan2dec02,1,6371123.story

Water on Mars ... Recently?

The Dail Mail (UK) reports on Dec. 7th that "Striking new images of the Red Planet have raised hopes life could be found on Mars after all. Scientists say they have photographic evidence that suggests liquid water may have been on the planet as little as five years ago. ... Now a new set of photographs has suggested that liquid water may have flowed on the planet a mere five years ago. ... Scientists in the USA decided to retake images of the gullies to search for any sign of recent activity. Two of those originally photographed in 1999 and 2001 then photographed again in 2004 and 2005 showed changes consistent with water having flowed down the side of the crater. ..."

Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=420833&in_page_id=1770

Do Galaxies Follow Darwinian Evolution?...

The ESO Announced on Dec. 6th that "Using VIMOS on ESO's Very Large Telescope, a team of French and Italian astronomers have shown the strong influence the environment exerts on the way galaxies form and evolve. The scientists have for the first time charted remote parts of the Universe, showing that the distribution of galaxies has considerably evolved with time, depending on the galaxies' immediate surroundings. This surprising discovery poses new challenges for theories of the formation and evolution of galaxies. ..."

Source: http://www.eso.org/outreach/press-rel/pr-2006/pr-45-06.html

Government publishes "SKEPTIC’S GUIDE TO DEBUNKING GLOBAL WARMING"...

The U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works announced on Dec. 8th that "Senator James Inhofe (R-Okla.), the outgoing Chairman of Environment & Public Works Committee, is pleased to announce the public release of the Senate Committee published booklet entitled “A Skeptic’s Guide to Debunking Global Warming Alarmism. Hot & Cold Media Spin Cycle: A Challenge To Journalists who Cover Global Warming,"
http://epw.senate.gov/repwhitepapers/6341044%20Hot%20&%20Cold%20Media.pdf

The color glossy 64 page booklet -- previously was only available in hardcopy to the media and policy makers -- includes speeches, graphs, press releases and scientific articles refuting catastrophe climate fears presented by the media, the United Nations, Hollywood and former Vice President turned-foreign-lobbyist Al Gore. ..."

Source: http://epw.senate.gov/fact.cfm?party=rep&id=266711

Websites O' The Week...

Who says ID has no scientific basis?  Here's ID actually applied, in the world's fastest Intelligent Design-based Sorting algorithm: http://www.dangermouse.net/esoteric/intelligentdesignsort.html.

Of course, that site is tongue-in-cheek. Not so for this one, which presents a "Complete Unified Field Model" by Nicholas J.R. Dalton : http://www.daltonscience.com/home.html. Relativity, Electrodynamics, and the rest of science is Wrong: "The monumentally complicated mathematical constructs of Twentieth Century Atomic Theory are far too complicated to have spontaneously occurred. In addition, their rejection of normal laws of motion and time is simply not sound logic. ..."

Posted December 1st, 2006

One Impact Did In the Dinos - Study...

RedOrbit News reported on Nov. 28th that "The dinosaurs, along with the majority of all other animal species on Earth, went extinct approximately 65 million years ago. Some scientists have said that the impact of a large meteorite in the Yucatan Peninsula, in what is today Mexico, caused the mass extinction, while others argue that there must have been additional meteorite impacts or other stresses around the same time. A new study provides compelling evidence that 'one and only one impact' caused the mass extinction, according to a University of Missouri-Columbia researcher. 'The samples we found strongly support the single impact hypothesis,' said Ken MacLeod, associate professor of geological sciences at MU and lead investigator of the study. ..."

Source: http://www.redorbit.com/news/display/?id=747011

Google Nukes...

John Fleck's Inkstain blog for Nov. 27th notes "If you’ve ever wondered where those “secret” underground bunkers are where they keep all our nukes, the Nuclear Notebook guys, Hans Kristensen and Stan Norris, have poked virtual pushpins into a Google Earth map. (Hint to Albuquerque readers: some are right under your nose, and I don’t mean at the Ghost Mall.) ..."

Interesting stuff!

Source: http://www.inkstain.net/fleck/?p=1809

Kansas Outlaws Practice Of Evolution...

The Onion reports on Nov. 28th that "In response to a Nov. 7 referendum, Kansas lawmakers passed emergency legislation outlawing evolution, the highly controversial process responsible for the development and diversity of species and the continued survival of all life. ... The sweeping new law prohibits all living beings within state borders from being born with random genetic mutations that could make them better suited to evade predators, secure a mate, or, adapt to a changing environment. In addition, it bars any sexual reproduction, battles for survival, or instances of pure happenstance that might lead, after several generations, to a more well-adapted species or subspecies. ..."

Source: http://www.theonion.com/content/node/55807

Hawking: Leave Earth!

The Telegraph (UK) reported on Dec. 1st "Mankind will need to venture far beyond planet Earth to ensure the long-term survival of our species, according to the world's best known scientist, Professor Stephen Hawking. Returning to a theme he has voiced many times before, the Cambridge University cosmologist said today that space-rockets propelled by the kind of matter/antimatter annihilation technology popularised in Star Trek would be needed to help Homo sapiens colonise hospitable planets orbiting alien stars. And he disclosed his own ambition to go into space. "Maybe Richard Branson will help me," he said, a reference to the space tourism plans of Virgin tycoon Sir Richard Branson, using the privately built SpaceShipOne to take people into space from 2008. ..."

Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/11/30/uhawking130.xml

Website O' The Week...

Stop Sylvia Browne - A look at the claims, predictions and behavior of a media "psychic". By Robert S. Lancaster.

Source: http://www.stopsylviabrowne.com/home/

Posted November 26th, 2006

Creationist Schism Splits Groups...

The Kentucky-based young-earth creationist group Answers in Genesis is in a huge row with the Creation Ministries International. The latter group is composed of organizations from Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and Canada which were all formerly united with the Kentucky group under the "Answers in Genesis" name. Accusations are flying in the acxrimonious dispute, which involves whether or not other creationists can be criticized, editorial control of magazines and publications, and (of course!), money. Jim Lippard has the gory details on the Lippard Blog.

Source: http://lippard.blogspot.com/2006/11/more-from-behind-scenes-of.html

Free-for-All on Science and Religion at Salk Institute...

In the Nov. 21st New York Times, George Johnson describes a forum held earlier this month at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, Calif. He writes "Maybe the pivotal moment came when Steven Weinberg, a Nobel laureate in physics, warned that “the world needs to wake up from its long nightmare of religious belief,” or when a Nobelist in chemistry, Sir Harold Kroto, called for the John Templeton Foundation to give its next $1.5 million prize for “progress in spiritual discoveries” to an atheist — Richard Dawkins, the Oxford evolutionary biologist whose book “The God Delusion” is a national best-seller. Or perhaps the turning point occurred at a more solemn moment, when Neil deGrasse Tyson, director of the Hayden Planetarium in New York City and an adviser to the Bush administration on space exploration, hushed the audience with heartbreaking photographs of newborns misshapen by birth defects — testimony, he suggested, that blind nature, not an intelligent overseer, is in control. ..."

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/21/science/21belief.html (Registration)

New Blog Highlights "Junk Food Science"...

Sandy Szwarc, RN, BSN, CCP, has a new blog titled "Junkfood Science."  It's about "The truth about food, fat and health. Learn the science that mainstream media doesn't report and how to critically think about the junk they do that's not fit to swallow." Check it out!

Source: http://www.junkfoodscience.blogspot.com/

Posted November 17th, 2006

New Think Tank to Promote ... Thinking!

Thge Washington Post reported on Nov. 15th that "Concerned that the voice of science and secularism is growing ever fainter in the White House, on Capitol Hill and in culture, a group of prominent scientists and advocates of strict church-state separation yesterday announced formation of a Washington think tank designed to promote "rationalism" as the basis of public policy. The brainchild of Paul Kurtz, founder of the Center for Inquiry-Transnational, the small public policy office will lobby and sometimes litigate on behalf of science-based decision making and against religion in government affairs. ..."

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/14/AR2006111401176.html

Yes, Virginia, Creationists DID Notice There Was an Election...

You'd never know there had even been an election if you got all your news from the Intelligent Design Sycophants' Blog, www.uncommondescent.com. That site has blithely ignored ID Nov. 7th election losses in Ohio, Kansas, Pennsylvania (Santorum) and Michigan (DeVos).

The Baptist Press News isn't as reticent, reporting on Nov. 14th that "In Ohio and Kansas, the midterm elections brought gains for evolution backers on state boards of education that determine science standards in public school classrooms, which means proponents of Intelligent Design suffered some setbacks. ..."

No mention of Santorum or DeVos here, either, but hey - at least they noticed something!

Source: http://www.sbcbaptistpress.org/bpnews.asp?ID=24390

Did Global Climate Change Doom the Dinosaurs?

National Geographic reports on Oct. 30th that "Offshore of Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula is a 110-mile-wide (180-kilometer-wide) crater dubbed Chicxulub, widely believed to be the site of an asteroid impact 65 million years ago that wiped out the dinosaurs. ... But a single asteroid impact doesn't tell the whole story, says a small but vocal group of geologists led by Princeton University paleontologist Gerta Keller in New Jersey. Keller and her collaborators believe that the Chicxulub impact predated the K-T extinction by about 300,000 years. The dinosaurs, they say, were killed not by a lone asteroid strike but by the quadruple whammy of global climate change, massive volcanism, and not one but two gigantic collisions. ..."

Source: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/10/061030-dinosaur-killer.html

Speaking of Asteroids, Can They Be STOPPED?

The Guardian (UK) reports on Nov. 17th that "It is the stuff of nightmares and, until now, Hollywood thrillers. A huge asteroid is on a catastrophic collision course with Earth and mankind is poised to go the way of the dinosaurs. To save the day, Nasa now plans to go where only Bruce Willis has gone before. The US space agency is drawing up plans to land an astronaut on an asteroid hurtling through space at more than 30,000 mph. It wants to know whether humans could master techniques needed to deflect such a doomsday object when it is eventually identified. The proposals are at an early stage, and a spacecraft needed just to send an astronaut that far into space exists only on the drawing board, but they are deadly serious. A smallish asteroid called Apophis has already been identified as a possible threat to Earth in 2036. ..."

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/story/0,,1950258,00.html

Posted November 10th, 2006

Election Affects Science...

Science Magazine reports on Nov. 8th that "Intelligent design (ID) received a drubbing yesterday, with pro-evolution candidates taking control of the Kansas State Board of Education and strengthening their representation on the Ohio State Board of Education. Many scientists also cheered the defeat of Senator Rick Santorum (R-PA), one of the most politically influential supporters of the ID movement. ..."

Source: http://sciencenow.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/2006/1108/3?rss=1

They forgot to mention Michigan gubernatorial candidate Dick DeVos, about whom the Detroit News reported "Republican gubernatorial candidate Dick DeVos says he supports giving local school districts the option of teaching the theory of intelligent design in science classes as an alternative to evolution. ..."

Source: http://detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060921/POLITICS01/609210382

Did Michigan voters approve DeVos?  Nope.

Source: http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061107/NEWS99/61107057/-1/BUSINESS07

Creationists and Their Legal Problems...

Even without considering the elections, it's not been a good couple of weeks for creationists.

For starters, you can surf over to the Escambia County Sheriff's Office to check out convicted felon (and creationist minister) Kent Hovind's grim-looking mug shot: http://66.210.33.206/oiscript/oiget.asp?name=Hovind%2C+Kent&alias=&ACTION=+++++++++++++++++++++++Search+++++++++++++++++++++++

(A better aspect ratio appears on the image itself: http://66.210.33.206/oiscript/oiget.asp?action=image&ino=135733)

Or, you can pop over to YouTube and watch scandal-plagued Ted Haggard's incredibly unctuous performance while being interviewed by biologist Richard Dawkins several months ago: http://www.pandasthumb.org/archives/2006/11/creationist_adm_1.html

Or, you can check out what Florida papers are reporting about Ann Coulter. The Palm Beach Post reported on Nov. 2nd that "TV political pundit and best-selling author Ann Coulter may be one step closer to being prosecuted for allegedly casting her vote in the wrong precinct in a Town of Palm Beach election. Supervisor of Elections Arthur Anderson said Wednesday he would refer the case to State Attorney Barry Krischer's office as early as today or Friday. ..."

Source: http://www.palmbeachpost.com/politics/content/local_news/epaper/2006/11/02/s3b_coulter_1102.html

Review of Coulter's "Godless" anti-evolution diatribe:
http://www.pandasthumb.org/archives/2006/06/anne_coulter_cl_1.html

Of course, this doesn't prove that all creationists are lawbreakers. Just some of them.

Former Brit Ministry of Defence official: "Aliens could attack at any time"...

Don Rumsfeld was not the only defense chief who resigned this week. The Daily Mail (UK) reported on Nov. 10th that "During his time as head of the Ministry of Defence UFO project, Nick Pope was persuaded into believing that other lifeforms may visit Earth and, more specifically, Britain. His concern is that 'highly credible' sightings are simply dismissed. And he complains that the project he once ran is now 'virtually closed' down, leaving the country 'wide open' to aliens. Mr Pope decided to speak out about his worries after resigning from his post at the Directorate of Defence Security at the MoD this week. ..."

Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=415514&in_page_id=1770

Bigfoot research makes professor a campus outcast...

CNN reports on Nov. 3rd that "Jeffrey Meldrum holds a Ph.D. in anatomical sciences and is a tenured professor of anatomy at Idaho State University. He is also one of the world's foremost authorities on Bigfoot, the mythical ape-man of the Northwest woods. And Meldrum firmly believes the lumbering, shaggy brute exists. That makes him an outcast -- a solitary, Sasquatch-like figure himself -- on the 12,700-student campus, where many scientists are embarrassed by what they call Meldrum's 'pseudo-academic' pursuits and have called on the university to review his work with an eye toward revoking his tenure. One physics professor, D.P. Wells, wonders whether Meldrum plans to research Santa Claus, too. ..."

Source: http://www.cnn.com/2006/EDUCATION/11/03/professor.bigfoot.ap/index.html

A Dolphin with 'Legs' - Evolutionary Throwback?

MSNBC reported on Nov. 6th that "Japanese researchers said Sunday that a bottlenose dolphin captured last month has an extra set of fins that could be the remains of hind legs, a discovery that may provide further evidence that ocean-dwelling mammals once lived on land. Fishermen captured the four-finned dolphin alive off the coast of Wakayama prefecture in western Japan on Oct. 28, and alerted the nearby Taiji Whaling Museum, according to museum director Katsuki Hayashi. ..."

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15581204/?GT1=8717

Posted November 3rd, 2006

"Russian Scopes" Trial Begins...

The St. Petersburg Times reports on Oct. 27th that "The court of Oktyabrsky district begun its proceedings of the suit from a school student against the teaching of Darwinism in her school. In the lawsuit of Maria Shrayber v. Russia's Ministry of Education and Science it states that presenting Darwin's origin of the species as the only true evolution theory offends the girl's religious beliefs and violates her right of ideology choice, Interfax reported Monday. According to Kirill Shrayber, who represents the interest of his juvenile daughter in court, their suit aims to limit study of the theory in Russia's schools due to the fact that so far none of the evolution theories has been scientifically proved, Interfax reported. The next hearing is planned for December 13. ..."

Source: http://www.sptimes.ru/story/19285

Poll: Almost half of Americans uncertain God exists...

Breitbart.com reported on Oct. 31st that "Nearly half of Americans are not sure God exists, according to a poll that also found divisions among the public on whether God is male or female or whether God has a human form and has control over events. The survey conducted by Harris Poll found that 42 percent of US adults are not 'absolutely certain' there is a God compared to 34 percent who felt that way when asked the same question three years ago. Among the various religious groups, 76 percent of Protestants, 64 percent of Catholics and 30 percent of Jews said they are 'absolutely certain' there is a God while 93 percent of Christians who describe themselves as 'Born Again' feel certain God exists. ..."

Source: http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/10/31/061031235233.s0l4o4wy.html

Dr. Dino Guilty of Federal Tax Fraud...

Kent "Dr. Dino" Hovind is a well-known creationist who stumps the world bashing evolution in fast-paced presentations and "debates." At one such presentation in Pennsylvania in 1999, Hovind endorsed the site www.darwindisproved.com for its convincing evidence that humans and dinosaurs lived at the same time. However, this site was actually the NMSR April Fool's prank for 1999. Upon receiving one of NMSR's annual awards, Hovind promptly challenged NMSR to a live debate, which we declined, explaining that he can put on a circus if he wants to, but that we were under no obligation to serve as the clowns. In turn, Hovind has refused NMSR's offer of a written Internet debate. His barnstorming bluster and ridicule work much better in a crowded room of believers than in cold hard print.

Sources: http://www.nmsr.org/onyatemn.htm, http://www.nmsr.org/hovind.htm

Hovind has a museum, sells many videos and books, and takes in hundreds of thousands of dollars at his Pensacola, Florida ministry. But, he has signed on to the "Taxation is Illegal" movement, and hasn't paid taxes on his employees in years. Even though he has complained about IRS "harassment" for years, Hovind's defense was that he was never notified by the IRS that he was violating a "specific law." On Nov. 2nd, after presenting no evidence and calling no witnesses in his defense, Hovind was convicted by a federal jury of 58 counts of evading bank-reporting requirements, and could face up to 288 years in prison. His wife was also convicted on 44 counts, and could face up to 225 years of hard time.

Maybe now he'll have time for that written debate with NMSR.

Source: http://www.pensacolanewsjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061102/NEWS01/611020330/1006

'Only 50 years left' for fish in the sea?

The BBC reported on Nov. 2nd that "There will be virtually nothing left to fish from the seas by the middle of the century if current trends continue, according to a major scientific study. Stocks have collapsed in nearly one-third of sea fisheries, and the rate of decline is accelerating. Writing in the journal Science, the international team of researchers says fishery decline is closely tied to a broader loss of marine biodiversity. But a greater use of protected areas could safeguard existing stocks. ..."

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6108414.stm

Not so fast, say other scientists interviewed for the Seattle Times, which reported on Nov. 3rd that "'It's just mind-boggling stupid,' said Ray Hilborn, a University of Washington professor of aquatic and fishery sciences. 'I'm worried about some areas of the world — like Africa — but other areas of the world have figured out how to do effective fishery management.' For example, most of the harvests in the North Pacific off Alaska — where most Seattle fleets fish — are not in sharp decline. ..."

Source: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003340489_seafood03m.html

N.M. Archaeologist Starring on new Sci Fi Channel series...

The Albuquerque Journal reported on Oct. 27th that "They say lightning never strikes twice, but it has for New Mexico archaeologist Bill Doleman. He's one of four stars of 'Sci Fi Investigates,' a reality show airing Wednesdays at 8 on the Sci Fi Channel. On the show, the career archaeologist serves as the serious 'science guy' on a team that investigates some of the world's most enduring mysteries, like cattle mutilations, Bigfoot, voodoo and life after death. It's the second time in four years that Doleman has snagged a role on a nationally televised show. In 2002, Doleman played a large role in 'The Roswell Crash: Startling New Evidence,' a two-hour Sci Fi Channel documentary that chronicled the first archaeological dig at the so-called debris field left by what some believe was an alien craft near Roswell. ..."

Source: http://www.abqjournal.com/venue/personalities/506418person10-27-06.htm (Subscription)

There is a new "mockumentary" about the 2002 Sci Fi Roswell show, titled "The Top Secret UFO Project," by filmmaker R. J. Thomas. PRLeap reports on Oct. 27th that "Billed as 'the movie the government does not want you to see,' 'The Top Secret UFO Project,' is a parody of UFO documentaries, from the upscale films like 'The Roswell Crash: Startling New Evidence,' to the cheesy docs of the 1970s like 'Overlords of the UFO.' ..."

Source: http://www.prleap.com/pr/53076/

Posted October 27th, 2006

Randi on "New Mexico Nutters" and 2012 "End of the World"...

In his October 20th commentary, James Randi notes "...since the current Mayan calendar cycle covers the period 3113 BC to 2012 AD, the calamatists have decided that in that year, a “total collapse of time” will occur, and our species will enter “post history.” (Folks, I just report these matters; I don’t explain them.) ... All over this doomed Earth, “spirituality conferences” are convening. In New Mexico, as we’d expect, the nutters will gather for a '2012 Ascension Symposium' which promises to 'offer humanity global reassurance and change the consciousness of the world.' ..."

Source: http://www.randi.org/jr/2006-10/100620sentient.html#i4

It appears New Mexico's reputation as a happy home for woo woo wingnuts is secure, perhaps until both Roswell and Santa Fe secede. At least we're not Sedona!

PR Evolving into "Science"?!? Big Willies and the Press...

Ben Goldacre of The Guardian (UK) writes on Oct. 21st that "All men will have big willies, said the headline in the Sun. This was the story of Oliver Curry, 'evolution theorist' from the Darwin@LSE research centre. 'By the year 3000, the average human will be 6ft tall, have coffee-coloured skin and live for 120 years, new research predicts. And the good news does not end there. Blokes will be chuffed to learn their willies will get bigger - and women's boobs will become more pert.' Where did this story come from? Does it stand up? Well, what has been represented as important "new research" is a rather fanciful essay from a political theorist at LSE, and while it's not ridiculous, there's a lot to take issue with. ... the trivial problems in this trivial essay are not the issue: what's odd is how it became a science story, all over the media, with the BBC, the Telegraph, the Sun, the Scotsman, and many more lapping it up. How does this happen? The 'research' was paid for by Bravo, a bikini and fast-car 'men's TV channel'. More and more, empty 'science' stories are being generated by PR companies who pay academics to produce some spurious piece of 'research'. ..."

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/life/badscience/story/0,,1928027,00.html

Evo - Evo - Evo - Lu - tion ...

This 39-second movie features a gaggle of science types singing "A Story of Intelligent Design" to the tune of "Glory, Glory, Hallelujah." Clever!

Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ia4B_xqFjoc&mode=related&search=

Creo Craziness in Poland..

AFP/Yahoo reported on Oct. 23rd that "Poland's far-right League of Polish Families (LPR), which is part of the coalition government, claims Darwin's theory of evolution is all wrong, that humans lived alongside dinosaurs and that Neanderthal man is still among us. Last week, Poland's deputy education minister Miroslaw Orzechowski, a member of the LPR, bluntly rejected British naturalist Charles Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection and his postulate that man is descended from apes. ... This weekend, Orzechowski was given some high-level support when European lawmaker for the far-right party, Maciej Giertych -- the father of LPR leader Roman Giertych -- told a seminar that Neanderthal man still roams the planet, notably in the United States where examples can be spotted in a boxing ring. 'A scientist showed me a picture of an American boxer. He had all the traits of Neanderthal man. These people are among us. They are part of the human race, probably more prevalent once upon a time, but who still exist,' Giertych, who has a doctorate in biology, told the seminar. ..."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20061023/sc_afp/polandpoliticsreligionscience

However, the AP reported on Oct. 26th that the younger Giertych is not echoing his father's line. "Poland's schools will continue to teach the theory of evolution, the education minister said Thursday, distancing himself from a deputy who recently called Darwinism a 'lie.' Roman Giertych, leader of ultra-Roman Catholic League of Polish Families, said he saw no conflict between the theory of evolution and the Biblical teaching that God created the world. 'As long as most scientists in our country say that evolution is the right theory, it will be taught in Poland's schools,' Giertych told a news conference. ..."

Source: http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/10/26/europe/EU_GEN_Poland_Evolution.php

DOE relinquishes "Voodoo" Polygraphs...

Physicist/physician Alan Zelicoff comments in the Oct. 20th Albuquerque Journal that "The U.S. Department of Energy has quietly slipped a new 'rule' of great significance into the Code of Federal Regulations: The program of lie-detector 'screening' at the premiere national laboratories has been rescinded. This change reflects an unflattering judgment on positions staked out by a bipartisan collection of political and lab leaders. First proposed in 1999 by Gov. Bill Richardson — then secretary of energy — during the uproar over alleged spying at the national labs, the lie detector policy elicited the derision of scientists everywhere. The American Psychological Association, the Federation of American Scientists, the Senior Scientists at Sandia Labs and the National Academy of Sciences uniformly rejected the Richardson’s contention that polygraphs would improve security. The expedient (though hardly inexpensive) attempt to paper over extraordinarily damaging security lapses with polygraphs has failed catastrophically. ..."

Source: http://www.abqjournal.com/opinion/guest_columns/appolygraphs10-23-06.htm

Hat tip, John Fleck: http://www.inkstain.net/fleck/?p=1756

"Jesus Power and Light"...

John Higgins of the Beacon Journal (Ohio) reported on Oct. 2nd that "'Jesus Power and Light' -- a free-electricity promotion denounced by scientists, consumer advocates and state attorneys general -- was pitched at an Akron City Council member's Sept. 5 ward meeting. The salesman, Fred Gissendaner, a respected local sports hero and community figure, believes in it so much that he says he has invested more than $10,000....Gissendaner says he is a certified dealer for the Hummingbird Motor & Sundance Generator, which purportedly harnesses the energy of permanent magnets to produce more electricity than it uses. But Gissendaner is not selling the generators; he's selling the DVD ($19.95 plus $7 shipping and handling) that explains the technology. Those who buy the DVD will be among 1.6 million 'witnesses' invited to football fields across the country (and in 10 provinces in Canada) on July 10, 2007, for the unveiling. After that, they will be entitled to free electricity for life by allowing a generator to be installed in their homes. International Tesla Electric Co. actually will own the generators and sell the excess energy back to utilities, Gissendaner said. 'This is nonsense,' said Lawrence M. Krauss, director of the Center for Education and Research in Cosmology and Astrophysics at Case Western Reserve University. 'Magnets do not give up energy.' Authorities in several states have warned consumers to be wary of theNew Jersey traveling salesman behind Gissendaner's investment: Dennis Lee. ..."

Source: http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/15658654.htm

Dennis Lee's visits to New Mexico: http://www.nmsr.org/denislee.htm

Martian Rovers fighting Boredom by Acting Out...

The Onion reports on Oct. 24th that "NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory scientists overseeing the ongoing Mars Exploration Rover Mission said Monday that the Spirit's latest transmissions could indicate a growing resentment of the Red Planet. 'Spirit has been displaying some anomalous behavior,' said Project Manager John Callas, who noted the rover's unsuccessful attempts to flip itself over and otherwise damage its scientific instruments. 'And the thousand or so daily messages of 'STILL NO WATER' really point to a crisis of purpose.' ... 'Granted, Spirit has been extraordinarily useful to our work,' Callas said. 'Last week, however, we received three straight days of images of the same rock with the message 'HAPPY NOW?' ' ..."

Source: http://www.theonion.com/content/node/54360

Hat Tip: Larry Crumpler

Posted October 19th, 2006

Antarctic Ice Collapse Linked To Man-Made Greenhouse Gases...

ABC News reports on Oct. 16th that "Scientists said on Monday that they had found the first direct evidence linking the collapse of an ice shelf in Antarctica to global warming widely blamed on human activities. Shifts in winds whipping around the southern Ocean, tied to human emissions of greenhouse gases, had warmed the Antarctic peninsula jutting up towards South America and contributed to the break-up of the Larsen B ice shelf in 2002, they said. ..."

Source: http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=2572811&page=1&technology=true

"Boffins" go Heavy Metal...

The Register (UK) reports on Oct. 17th that "Russian and American scientists yesterday announced they'd 'discovered' a new superheavy element - 118, aka ununoctium. According to Reuters, teams at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California and the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in Dubna, Russia, 'bombarded californium with calcium ions' to create the element which has 'only existed in three different atoms lasting a fraction of a second over months of experiments'. The boffins explained they found the first 118 atom in 2002, followed by another two in 2005. The atoms lived for a fleeting 0.9 milliseconds. ..."

Source: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/10/17/element_118/

What are Boffins? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boffin

'Anti-religion' group joins Academy's church program...

World Net Daily reported on Oct. 17th that "A group that rejects any religious belief, thought or practice in favor of "reason" has joined a religious instruction program at the United States Air Force Academy. Officials for the Freethinkers of Colorado Springs say they want to inspire the "non-religious" cadet to become the 'noble animal' he or she can, just as Christian groups seek to have cadets become like Christ, or Jewish students seek to study, know and follow the Torah. ...The school's religion program had been accused by several, including academy graduate Mikey Weinstein, of providing a platform for evangelical Christians at the academy. He's filed a lawsuit over it, according to a report in the Colorado Springs Gazette. ..."

Source: http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=52470

"Dr. Dino" (Kent Hovind) Trial Begins...

The Pensacola News Journal reported on Oct. 18th that "Defense attorneys said it's a case of a Pensacola couple's ignorance of the law and their religious beliefs. A federal prosecutor said it's a case of a couple refusing to pay payroll taxes for their employees. Opening statements began Tuesday in the trial of Pensacola evangelist Kent Hovind and his wife, Jo. Between them, the Hovinds are charged with 58 counts of tax fraud involving their Creation Science Ministry. The ministry includes Dinosaur Adventure Land on North Palafox Street, a creationist theme park dedicated to debunking evolution. ..."

Source: http://www.pensacolanewsjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061018/NEWS01/610180337/1006

Posted October 13th, 2006

More on Alaskan Swell Breaking Massive Iceberg in Antarctica...

We reported on this last week, but you'll want to check out John Fleck's article on the New Mexican connection! Writing in the Oct. 7th Albuquerque Journal, Fleck notes "Following a trail of scientific bread crumbs, a team of scientists has established a connection: a massive wave that traveled more than 8,000 miles across open ocean, shaking the 60-by-20-mile iceberg until it fell apart. Scientists have long known ocean waves can circle the planet. But this is the first time they have found evidence of such a dramatic effect, according to New Mexico Tech geophysicist Rick Aster, a member of the scientific team that pulled the clues together. ..."

Source: http://www.abqjournal.com/news/state/499781nm10-07-06.htm (Subscription)

Montana Governor called "Incredibly Bigoted" for saying Earth is over 4,000-6,000 Years Old...

Yahoo reported on Oct. 9th that "A Republican state lawmaker is criticizing Gov. Brian Schweitzer for comments he made to a newspaper here about the lawmaker's belief that the planet is not millions of years old. Rep. Roger Koopman, R-Bozeman, called Schweitzer's statement 'incredibly bigoted.' Speaking to a crowd of school children, parents and teachers in Bozeman on Friday about global warming, Schweitzer asked how many in the crowd thought the Earth was hundreds of millions of years old. Most of the children in the audience raised their hands. He then asked how many believed the planet was less than a million years old. At least two people, including Koopman, who was in the crowd, raised their hands. ... Schweitzer said he needs support from a state Legislature that will help move Montana's agenda forward, 'not people who think the Earth is 4,000 years old.' Koopman called the comments insulting. 'He insulted many Christian people and other people of faith that arrived at that position other than the way I arrived at it,' he said. ..."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061009/ap_on_re_us/governor_earth_s_age_2

City of Roswell Takes Over UFO Fest from Museum...

The Roswell Daily Record reported on Oct. 10th that "In an attempt to end the turf wars that come with planning a city-wide event during the week of July 4, the City of Roswell will coordinate the 2007 UFO Festival. The 2007 event marks the 60th anniversary of the Roswell Incident and the 10-year anniversary of the festival itself. ... Jack Swickard, president of the International UFO Museum and Research Center Board of Directors, said the board is happy about the city’s decision to step up to the plate. 'It has been our hope at the museum that the city would take command of the festival,' said Swickard. 'We met with (Mayor Sam LaGrone) right after this year’s festival and he indicated that he wanted to get involved.' Swickard said the museum took over coordinating the festival three years ago and it has not been profitable during that time. ..."

Source: http://www.roswell-record.com/archives/101006/news05.html

Searching for CLues to Origin of Life ... in Kamchatka?

The Baltimore Sun reports on Oct. 8th that "In the unspoiled land of Kamchatka, nearly as far east as one can go in the Russian Far East, in a vast volcano crater reachable only by helicopter, American geologist Christopher Romanek crouches in thigh-high rubber boots and dips an electronic temperature probe into a hot spring's trickling stream. The pool's bubbling source is a steamy 164 degrees. And in it may lie clues to one of the most puzzling conundrums of science: how life on earth began. Romanek is part of a team of American and Russian scientists who, for four years running, have used Kamchatka as a laboratory for the study of extremophiles - organisms which, as their name suggests, live in extreme environments. ..."

Source: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/health/bal-id.kamchatka08oct08,0,4280702.story?page=1

Hat tip, John Fleck: "No politics here, no big breakthroughs, just some delightful writing."
http://www.inkstain.net/fleck/?p=1734

"Hobbit" at Two...

Carl Zimmer has a update on the latest back-and-forth regarding Homo floresiensis, called the Indonesian "Hobbit" from 18,000 years ago. Zimmer observes on his Oct. 9th blog that "As we come up on the second anniversary of the initial announcement of Homo floresiensis, we're in a strange spot. Microcephaly turns out to be a very peculiar condition that makes it very hard to distinguish humans from a possible species of very small hominids. Many different genes can give rise to the same conditions, producing different shapes to the brain, as well as different changes to other parts of the body. ... At this point it's not even clear if discovering more tiny hominids on Flores would make the case for a separate species. Under some conditions, it might be possible that a small population of islanders had a high proportion of microcephaly-triggering genes floating about. But that may be moot if nobody's actually digging in the Liang Bua cave. Now, if Homo floresiensis is the result of evolutionary dwarfing, then perhaps the debate might be advanced a bit if someone could find hominid fossils on other islands around southeast Asia that have also followed the Homo floresiensis path. ..."

Source: http://scienceblogs.com/loom/2006/10/09/homo_floresiensis_two_years_ou.php

Posted October 6th, 2006

Weather in Alaska causes Iceberg to Splinter .. in ANTARCTICA!

ABC News/Reiters reports on Oct. 2nd that "A bad storm in Alaska last October generated an ocean swell that broke apart a giant iceberg near Antarctica six days later, U.S. researchers reported on Monday. The waves traveled 8,300 miles to destroy the iceberg, said Douglas MacAyeal of the University of Chicago and Emile Okal at Northwestern University. ..."

Source: http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=2519027

Gore, Cigarettes. and Global Warming...

On Inkstain, John Fleck opines "There’s a fascinating meme echoing around the Internet in recent days suggesting Al Gore said something idiotic. The source is a NewsMax story about a talk Al Gore apparently gave last week at the United Nations.

http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2006/9/28/220035.shtml?s=lh

The NewsMax article suggests Gore claimed that 'Cigarette smoking is a ’significant’ contributor to global warming'. It’s obviously an idiotic claim, and it seems extremely unlikely to me that Gore, practiced in the delivery of his global warming schtick and careful in his scientific citations, would have made it. ... It’s a great example of the way it’s far easier to dismiss one’s political opponents as venal or stupid than it is to actually engage the substance of their argument. ..."

Source: http://www.inkstain.net/fleck/?p=1714

Chris Mooney Causes Radio Station "New Talk 106.3 FM" to Fold...

Fleck also opined on Sept. 29th that "Yesterday afternoon, Chris Mooney swung through town on a book tour visit, including a talk radio appearance. Today comes news that KAGM is being shut down, replaced with an all-Spanish music format of some kind. It would be a mistake, of course, to confuse correlation with causation. ..."

Source: http://www.inkstain.net/fleck/?p=1709

TIME Tells it like it Is...

... about human evolution. In the cover story for the Oct. 1st issue, the Time staffers write "You don't have to be a biologist or an anthropologist to see how closely the great apes--gorillas, chimpanzees, bonobos and orangutans--resemble us. ... Scientists figured out decades ago that chimps are our nearest evolutionary cousins, roughly 98% to 99% identical to humans at the genetic level. When it comes to DNA, a human is closer to a chimp than a mouse is to a rat. Yet tiny differences, sprinkled throughout the genome, have made all the difference. ..."

Source: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1541283,00.html

War against evolution could deeply harm future of U.S. science...

In the Oct. 5th Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Paul A. Hanle argues that "By teaching intelligent design, this nation will be discouraging technological innovation."  He adds "Already, U.S. high school students lag near the bottom in math skills compared with students in other developed nations, and high school seniors are performing worse in science than they were 10 years ago. These trends can only worsen if students come to regard evolution as questionable or controversial. Thirty-seven percent of the high school Advanced Placement biology examination tests knowledge of evolution, evolutionary biology and heredity, according to the College Board. Students who do not thoroughly understand evolution cannot hope to succeed on this exam. By teaching intelligent design or other variants of creationism in science classes at public schools -- or by undercutting the credibility of evolution -- we are greatly diminishing our chances for future scientific breakthroughs and technological innovations, and are endangering our health, safety and economic well-being as individuals and as a nation. ..."

Source: http://www.startribune.com/562/story/721683.html

FINALLY - DOE trims Polygraph Use...

KOB TV reports on Oct. 5th that "The US Energy Department is ending required polygraph tests for thousands of workers at its nuclear weapons facilities. That includes most scientists at the government’s national research labs, such as Los Alamos and Sandia. The department no longer will require polygraph tests as part of a general screening of new applicants, or automatically for employees in areas of high security. The agency says tests will be required for narrow purposes where there is specific cause. Applicants still will undergo broad security reviews, as will current workers on a periodic basis. But the department says that, with narrow exceptions, these workers will no longer automatically be subject to lie detector tests. The new requirements are to go into effect October 30th. ..."

Source: http://www.kobtv.com/index.cfm?viewer=storyviewer&id=28154

It's about time! http://www.nmsr.org/polygraf.htm

Who says there aren't Psychics?

Take a look at this YouTube video, just over a minute in length, and see if you think this policeman is having a premonition...

Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1aqnszkwEcw

Posted September 29th, 2006

Mona Lisa, Soccer Mom...

The Independent (UK) reported on Sept. 28th that "As if her enigmatic smile had not inspired enough debate over the centuries, the mysterious Mona Lisa was the subject of renewed controversy yesterday. Scientists now claim the young woman depicted in Leonardo da Vinci's 16th century masterpiece was either pregnant or had recently given birth. 'Thanks to laser scanning, we were able to uncover the very fine gauze veil Mona Lisa was wearing on her dress. This was something typical for either soon-to-be or new mothers at the time,' explained Michel Menu, of the French Museums' Centre for Research and Restoration. ..."

Source: http://news.independent.co.uk/world/science_technology/article1768841.ece

Brit Ministry of Defense didn't want us to know how much they studied UFOs ...

The Guardian (UK) reported on Sept. 25th that "The Ministry of Defence went to extraordinary lengths to cover up its true involvement in investigating UFOs, according to secret documents revealed under the Freedom of Information Act. The files show that officials attempted to expunge information from documents released to the Public Records Office under the '30-year rule' that would have revealed the extent of the MoD's interest in UFO sightings. In particular, the ministry wanted to cover up the operation of a secret unit dedicated to UFO investigations within the Defence Intelligence Staff. UFO conspiracy theorists have likened the unit, called DI55, to a sort of 'Men in Black' agency for defending the Earth against invasion but the released documents show this is far from the truth. ... The files were made public following FOI requests by David Clarke, a lecturer in journalism at Sheffield Hallam University and his colleague Andy Roberts. 'These documents don't tell us anything about UFOs but they do show how desperate the MoD have been to conceal the interest which the intelligence services had in the subject,' said Dr Clarke. ..."

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/story/0,,1880308,00.html

Sen. Inhofe disses Global Warming...

Senator James Inhofe, Chairman of the U.S. Senate Environment And Public Works Committee, stated on the Senate floor on Sept. 25th that "Recently, advocates of alarmism have grown increasingly desperate to try to convince the public that global warming is the greatest moral issue of our generation. ... In 2006, both the National Academy of Sciences and an independent researcher further refuted the foundation of the “hockey stick. http://epw.senate.gov/pressitem.cfm?party=rep&id=257697 ..."

Source: http://epw.senate.gov/speechitem.cfm?party=rep&id=263759

What the National Academy of Sciences REALLY said: "The basic conclusion of Mann et al. (1998, 1999) was that the late 20th century warmth in the Northern Hemisphere was unprecedented during at least the last 1,000 years. This conclusion has subsequently been supported by an array of evidence that includes both additional large-scale surface temperature reconstructions and pronounced changes in a variety of local proxy indicators, such as melting on icecaps and the retreat of glaciers around the world, which in many cases appear to be unprecedented during at least the last 2,000 years. ..."

Source: http://dels.nas.edu/dels/rpt_briefs/Surface_Temps_final.pdf#search=%22%22The%20basic%20conclusion%20of%20Mann%20et%20al%22%22

Sen. Inhofe responded to the resultant "firestorm" on television news stations like CNN, and the Internet, on Sept. 28th. And he knows he's right, because of the "the flood of overwhelming positive feedback" he received, from Janet of Saugus, Massachusetts, Al of Clinton, Connecticut, Kevin of Jacksonville, Florida, Steven of Phoenix, Arizona, and Craig of Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Source: http://www.epw.senate.gov/speechitem.cfm?party=rep&id=264027

Opportunity Knocks on the Rim of Victoria...

The San Francisco Chronicle reports on Sept. 28th that "Opportunity, the tireless rover exploring the surface of Mars, has finally reached the steep rim of a broad crater called Victoria, after a 21-month journey over sand dunes, rock-studded plains and smaller Martian craters, mission scientists reported Wednesday. At the crater's edge, the six-wheeled explorer positioned its panoramic camera to peer across the half-mile width of bowl-shaped feature and transmitted images of rugged walls with dark layers of rocky outcrops and a floor blanketed with sand dunes, said astronomer Steven Squyres of Cornell, chief scientist for the rover mission. 'This is a geologist's dream come true,' he said in an e-mail to reporters. 'Those layers of rock, if we can get to them, will tell us new stories about the environmental conditions on Mars long ago.' ..."

Source: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/09/28/MNG7TLE1UC1.DTL

Scientists: That's IT, We've gotta ORGANIZE...

The New York Times reports on Sept. 28th that "Several prominent scientists said yesterday that they had formed an organization dedicated to electing politicians 'who respect evidence and understand the importance of using scientific and engineering advice in making public policy.' Organizers of the group, Scientists and Engineers for America, said it would be nonpartisan, but in interviews several said Bush administration science policies had led them to act. The issues they cited included the administration’s position on climate change, its restrictions on stem cell research and delays in authorizing the over-the-counter sale of emergency contraception. In a statement posted on its Web site (www.sefora.org), the group said scientists and engineers had an obligation 'to enter the political debate when the nation’s leaders systematically ignore scientific evidence and analysis, put ideological interest ahead of scientific truths, suppress valid scientific evidence and harass and threaten scientists for speaking honestly about their research.' ..."

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/28/us/politics/28science.html (registration)

Posted September 22nd, 2006

Paul Nelson Speaks at Calvary ABQ...

Dr. Paul Nelson is one of the few Discovery Institute Fellows who openly admits to being a young-earth creationist. (This is confirmed by Nelson on ID blogger Denyse O'Leary Sept. 15, 2005 blog: "I became a fellow at Discovery in 1996, and published a chapter defending YEC with John Mark Reynolds (in the Zondervan volume Three Views on Creation and Evolution) in 1999. ... I've never made any effort to hide my YEC convictions, which are mainly theological in origin. To my knowledge, I'm the token (i.e., only) YEC among the Discovery fellows. ..."

A commenter notes that "Paul has recently been demoted from a Senior Fellow to a Fellow of the DI, but he has said this is due to his tardiness in publishing his long-awaited monograph 'On Common Descent'. ..."

Source: http://post-darwinist.blogspot.com/2005/09/yec-id-supporter-paul-nelson-defends.html

On Sept. 6th, 2006, Nelson spoke in Albuquerque at Calvary Chapel, on "What Does Natural Selection Really Explain?" You can watch the 94-minute talk online at the Calvary website.

Source: http://www.calvaryabq.org/services.asp?search=speaker&speaker=Dr.%20Paul%20Nelson

'Walking' Shark Surprise in Indonesia...

The BBC reports on Sept. 18th that "Discoveries of hugely diverse fish and coral species in the Indonesian archipelago have amazed researchers. The Bird's Head region in Papua may be the most biologically diverse in all the oceans, say scientists from Conservation International (CI). Among 50 species believed to be new are bottom-dwelling 'walking' sharks and 'flasher' wrasse, which feature colourful male courting displays. ..."

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/5350666.stm

PFAW publishes on "Defending Science Education in Your Community"...

People For the American Way has published "An Online Toolkit for Students and Parents Whose Public School Science Curriculum is Under Attack." The announcement of the publication asks "Is there an effort in your state, locality or neighborhood school to introduce creationism or sideline evolution in the science classroom? If so, this toolkit was made for you." Resources include "How to Respond to Religiously-Based Curricula," "Students: Points to Raise with Parents and School Personnel," "Parents: Points to Raise with Other Parents, School Personnel and Elected Officials," and "Evolution FAQs."

Source: http://www.pfaw.org/pfaw/general/default.aspx?oid=22398

Stunning Cassini Images...

Feast your eyes on these new images of Saturn, released by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory on Sept. 19th. The release notes that "Saturn sports a new ring in an image taken by NASA's Cassini spacecraft on Sunday, Sept. 17, during a one-of-a-kind observation. Other spectacular sights captured by Cassini's cameras include wispy fingers of icy material stretching out tens of thousands of kilometers from the active moon, Enceladus, and a cameo color appearance by planet Earth. ..."

Source: http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/news/press-release-details.cfm?newsID=691

"Lucy's Baby"...

The BBC reported on Sept. 20th that "The 3.3-million-year-old fossilised remains of a human-like child have been unearthed in Ethiopia's Dikika region. The female Australopithecus afarensis bones are from the same species as an adult skeleton found in 1974 which was nicknamed 'Lucy.' Scientists are thrilled with the find, reported in the journal Nature. ..."

While the tiny hominid is Small, the importance of this find is Big. Stay tuned!

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/5363328.stm

Richardson wants School Districts to support Students at 2007 International Science Fair...

The Rio Rancho Observer reports on Sept. 20th that "Russ Fisher-Ives issued a call for action here Tuesday afternoon, and Gov. Bill Richardson threw down the gauntlet. Fisher-Ives, a former Rio Rancho High School science teacher, made his plea for school districts around the state to allocate funds for students and teachers to travel to Albuquerque in May for 2007's Intel International Science & Engineering Fair, which will be held in the Albuquerque Convention Center. 'This is a call to action for our communities statewide, making sure our education community is ready to set aside funds so that our teachers and students have field-trip money, buses, subs, for the end of the school year, so they know they're going to be part, whether their kids are going to compete up to the regional or state (fair), or they're going to come as visitors, and those field trips are incredibly important,' he explained. ..."

Source: http://www.observer-online.com/articles/2006/09/20/news/story4.txt

Amazing New Images of Mars Cydonia Region ...

The European Space Agency has some incredibly sharp images of the Cydonia region of Mars, long hyped as the location of the "Face on Mars."  ESA announced on Sept. 21st the new "perspective view showing the so-called 'Face on Mars' located in the Cydonia region. The image shows a remnant massif thought to have formed via landslides and an early form of debris apron formation. ..." Why is ESA calling the formation the "so-called 'Face on Mars' "?  You should check it out!

Source: http://www.esa.int/esaSC/SEM09F8LURE_index_1.html

Expect Richard Hoagland to be all over this. He still thinks the "Face" is artifical, and evidence of a long-dead Martian civilization. Here's the location of an image of what he thinks it looked like in its prime.

Source: http://www.enterprisemission.com/images/GMET-2006-B.jpg

Hat tip to John Fleck.

Posted September 15th, 2006

Big Bang in Trouble?

SpaceRef.com reports on Sept. 7th that "A new analysis of 'cool' spots in the cosmic microwave background may cast new doubts on a key piece of evidence supporting the big bang theory of how the universe was formed. Two scientists at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) looked for, but couldn't find, evidence of gravitational 'lensing' where you might expect to find it, in the most distant light source in the universe -- the cosmic microwave background. Results of this research by Dr. Richard Lieu, a UAH physics professor, and Dr. Jonathan Mittaz, a UAH research associate, were published Monday in the 'Astrophysical Journal.' ..."

Source: http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=17752

Creationists define "Dogmatic" for Once and for All...

The Intelligent Design movement prides itself on not letting those awful "Dogmatic Darwinists" get away with their shenanigans. Here's a typical instance, from a piece by the Discovery Institute's "Media Watch" division called  "Dogmatic Darwinists Strike Again": "...Darwinists aren't interested in keeping non-evolutionary views just out of the science classroom, they want non-evolutionary views out of students minds completely. If anyone ever doubted the full measure of Darwinist dogmatism, this lawsuit should dispell those doubts. ..."

Source: http://www.evolutionnews.org/2006/01/dogmatic_darwinists_strike_aga.html

The trouble is, science is really the antithesis of "dogmatism." However, here comes David C. Pack of "The Real Truth" magazine with a discussion that should help those at the Disco Institute understand the true meaning of "Dogma."  Pack writes "Evolutionists invariably use terms like 'We suspect…We are coming to believe…What may have happened…We may theorize that…It is our opinion…What probably occurred…We do not know…,' etc. These terms do not inspire much confidence. The dogmatic statements of the Bible DO! The God of the Bible never speaks in such uncertain terms. He does not have to. He not only knows He created mankind, but that it also can be proven. Thus, He speaks boldly—with AUTHORITY—about what He has done! ..."

Source: http://www.realtruth.org/articles/0306-ctbabp.html

Glad you guys straightened that out for us!

Pope Benedict: "Evolution is Unreasonable..." ?

ANSA (Italy) reports on September 12th that "Pope Benedict XVI on Monday issued his strongest criticism yet of evolutionary theory, calling it 'unreasonable'. Speaking to a 300,000-strong crowd in this German city, the former theological watchdog said that, according to such theories derived from Charles Darwin's work, the universe is 'the random result of evolution and therefore, at bottom, something unreasonable'. The homily appeared to throw the Catholic Church's full weight behind the theory of intelligent design (ID) - a subject of massive controversy in the United States . The Catholic Church has for over 50 years accepted Darwin's theory of random selection as the most probable cause of development, but has alway stressed God's role. ..."

Source: http://ansa.it/main/notizie/awnplus/english/news/2006-09-12_1128196.html

This is from the same speech that has also sparked immense anger from some in the Muslim community. The transcript does not square that well with the ANSA report above, however. From the transcript, it appears the main point Benedict wanted to make was this: "This attempt, painted with broad strokes, at a critique of modern reason from within has nothing to do with putting the clock back to the time before the Enlightenment and rejecting the insights of the modern age. The positive aspects of modernity are to be acknowledged unreservedly: we are all grateful for the marvellous possibilities that it has opened up for mankind and for the progress in humanity that has been granted to us. The scientific ethos, moreover, is - as you yourself mentioned, Magnificent Rector - the will to be obedient to the truth, and, as such, it embodies an attitude which belongs to the essential decisions of the Christian spirit. The intention here is not one of retrenchment or negative criticism, but of broadening our concept of reason and its application. In this sense theology rightly belongs in the university and within the wide-ranging dialogue of sciences, not merely as a historical discipline and one of the human sciences, but precisely as theology, as inquiry into the rationality of faith. ..."

Source: http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/speeches/2006/september/documents/hf_ben-xvi_spe_20060912_university-regensburg_en.html

Polar Flip - for Real?...

Maggie Wittlin of Seed Magazine reports on Sept. 11th that "Eight hundred million years ago, the world flipped. In research recently published in the Geological Society of America Bulletin, scientists argue that a sudden imbalance of mass on the Earth caused the whole planet to tilt 60° from its axis of rotation. This event, called 'true polar wander,' may have moved entire land masses, shifting some continents into the tropics and others out of them. The research team—which included Princeton geoscientist Adam Maloof and Galen Halverson of the Université Paul Sabatier in France, and was funded by the National Science Foundation—based its findings on observations of sediment in Svalbard, Norway. Limestone deposits from the region contained minerals that during sedimentation orient themselves along Earth's magnetic field, and in some samples, the researchers noticed that the minerals showed two sudden changes in orientation—each corresponding to a change in the position of the magnetic north pole relative to the rocks. The researchers deduced that about 800 million years ago the Earth's continents shifted with respect to the planet's spin axis and magnetic field. ..."

Source: http://www.seedmagazine.com/news/2006/09/the_day_the_earth_went_for_a_s.php?utm_source=SB-bottom&utm_medium=linklist&utm_content=news&utm_campaign=internal%2Blinkshare

Even Football Guys are Getting It...

Baylor used to be a big name in Football. But the team has been floundering for a decade, prompting the sports writer for the Washington State Cougs to write "To the chagrin of Baylor football fans, once steeped in the steady success of Grant Teaff during his Hall of Fame coaching career that concluded in 1992, their East-Central Texas school is now better known for its controversial role in the dubious effort to move the study of creationism, typically limited to philosophy and religion classes, into the arena of science. ... Nowadays you mention Baylor and you're more likely to get a blank stare or a reference to Charles Darwin rolling over in his grave. Indeed, on the gridiron, the Bears of the last decade could have used a heavy infusion of intelligent design. They’ve gone 10 straight seasons without a winning record. Last year’s 5-6 showing marked the first time in eight campaigns they won more than three games. ..."

Source: http://washingtonstate.scout.com/2/567302.html

Belshaw quietly puts a 9-11 Conspiracy Theory to bed...

Albuquerque Journal columnist Jim Belshaw had a column on Sept. 13th about the aftermath of the 9-11 terror attacks. And, at the end of the piece, he quietly but firmly puts the Kabosh on one of the "9-11 Conspiracy" claims, namely that NO plane crashed into the Pentagon on Sept. 11th, 2001. Belshaw's op-ed was about former New Mexican Michael Campana, whose sister, Ann Campana Judge, perished when American Airlines Flight 77 slammed into the Pentagon. Belshaw writes "Sept. 11 stays with him every day, usually quietly, usually privately. No fanfare, no ceremony, no speeches. But every once in a while an exception intrudes. 'You'll love this,' he e-mailed. 'My wife called me after her first Pilates lesson this a.m. Without knowing our connection to 9/11, the instructor started going off on how the remains of AA Flt. #77 were never found, and continued with the usual conspiracy theory stuff. My wife then told (the instructor) that she was welcome to drop by our house any time and examine Ann's (personal) effects (recovered from the wreckage). The woman was speechless.' ..."

Source: http://www.abqjournal.com/belshaw/492033opinion09-13-06.htm (Subscription)

For a flavor of the burgeoning 9-11 conspiracy theory industry, check out this page on the Pentagon and Flight 77
http://killtown.911review.org/flight77/debris.html

For some skeptical resources, check out these sites:

Pentagon & Boeing 757 Engine Investigation
http://www.aerospaceweb.org/question/conspiracy/q0265.shtml

Examining Famous "Conspiracies" by Robert Sheaffer - The Debunker's Domain
http://www.debunker.com/conspiracy.html

Xena NO MORE!...

Phil Plait at the Bad Astronomy Blog notes that solar orbiter Xena is no more! Plait writes on Sept. 13th "Phew! I was worried that 2003 UB313 was going to be stuck with the name of Xena, but the IAU just announced that it will be named Eris. This is an interesting choice; Eris was the goddess of strife and discord (the Roman equivalent is Discordia), continuing the trend that the outer planets will be named after evil (or at least badly acting) gods. The moon of Eris, formerly known as Gabrielle, is now Dysnomia, the goddess of lawlessness. ..."

Source: http://www.badastronomy.com/bablog/2006/09/13/xena-no-more/

Phelps pronounces Jon Stewart and Steve Colbert to be "Mockers and Scoffers that Blaspheme God"...

Rev. Fred Phelps of "Godhatesfags.com" is featured in this mind-boggling 10-minute-long YouTube video. He sure puts Stewart and Colbert in their place!

Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e647x8xFKTs

See Also: http://www.godhatesfags.com/

hat tip: John Fleck

Priest Found to have Insufficient Faith...

The Daily Record (UK) writes on Aug. 30th that "A priest has died after trying to demonstrate how Jesus walked on water. Evangelist preacher Franck Kabele, 35, told his congregation he could repeat the biblical miracle. But he drowned after walking out to sea from a beach in the capital Libreville in Gabon, west Africa. One eyewitness said: 'He told churchgoers he'd had a revelation that if he had enough faith, he could walk on water like Jesus. He took his congregation to the beach saying he would walk across the Komo estuary, which takes 20 minutes by boat. He walked into the water, which soon passed over his head and he never came back.' ..."

Source: http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/tm_objectid=17646670&method=full&siteid=66633&headline=miracle-is-sunk--name_page.html

It's in High Def, it's on Free TV, and it's the Original STAR TREK..

My sister Debbie writes today that "The new digitally remastered Star Trek (The Original Series...TOS) will air tomorrow, Saturday, September 16th, at 9:00 p.m. on KASY 50. This is the broadcast over-the-air channel 50, NOT the cable channel 50 (which is called G4). KASY has 'My50TV' as their logo in the lower right hand corner. The website
http://www.startrek.com/startrek/view/news/article/23775.html at Star Trek.com has trailers and photos to click on detailing the remastering of the Enterprise, etc. They have not altered the dialogue in any way, just enhanced the special effects and music. This should be a lot of fun to watch! Live long and prosper."

Posted September 8th, 2006

Math Prof. John Allen Paulos on "What's Wrong With Creationist Probability?"...

Head over to ABC News to check out John Allen Paulos's new column on major flaws in creationist probabilities. He writes in the Sept. 3rd column "Now if we shuffle this deck of cards for a long time and then examine the particular ordering of the cards that happens to result, we would be justified in concluding that the probability of this particular ordering of the cards having occurred is approximately 1 chance in 10 to the 68th power. This certainly qualifies as minuscule. Still, we would not be justified in concluding that the shuffles could not have possibly resulted in this particular ordering because its a priori probability is so very tiny. Some ordering had to result from the shuffling, and this one did. Nor, of course, would we be justified in concluding that the whole process of moving from one ordering to another via shuffles is so wildly improbable as to be practically impossible. The actual result of the shufflings will always have a minuscule probability of occurring, but, unless you're a creationist, that doesn't mean the process of obtaining the result is at all dubious. ..."

Source: http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=2384584&page=1

Vatican Position on Evolution in Stasis?

Science Magazine reports on Sept. 8th "Don’t look for a big change any time soon in the Catholic Church’s views on evolution. Although supporters of evolution had feared that the Pope would embrace so-called intelligent design, Pope Benedict XVI gave no sign at a gathering last week as to how he thought the topic should be taught. The pope said little during the meeting, which included his former theology Ph.D. students and a small group of experts near Rome. Peter Schuster, a chemist at the University of Vienna and president of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, attended the meeting and gave a lecture on evolutionary theory. 'The pope … listened to my talk very carefully and asked very good questions at the end,' he says. And the Church’s most outspoken proponent of intelligent design, Cardinal Schönborn, seemed to distance himself from the theory. ..."

Source: http://www.pandasthumb.org/archives/2006/09/vatican_policy.html

Can we blame Superstition on Evolution?

The Australian reports on Sept. 6th that "Humans have evolved over tens of thousands of years to be susceptible to supernatural beliefs, a psychologist has claimed. Religion and other forms of magical thinking continue to thrive - despite the lack of evidence and advance of science - because people are naturally biased to accept a role for the irrational, said Bruce hood, professor of experimental psychology at the University of Bristol. This evolved credulity suggests that it would be impossible to root out belief in ideas such as creationism and paranormal phenomena, even though they have been countered by evidence and are held as a matter of faith alone. ... Superstition may also give people a sense of control that can reduce stress. 'I don't think we're going to evolve a rational mind because there are benefits to being irrational,' Professor Hood said. 'Superstitious behaviour - the idea that certain rituals and practices protect you - is adaptive. If you remove the appearance that they are in control, both humans and animals become stressed. During the Gulf War, in areas attacked by Scud missiles there was a rise in superstitious belief.' ..."

Source: http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,20360787-401,00.html?from=public_rss

"Answers in Genesis" uses Croc Hunter's Death to Pimp Creationism...

Leave it to the young-earth creationists at Answers in Genesis to take advantage of crocodile hunter Steve Irwin's untimely death to spread their Biblical message. AiG head Ken Ham, an ex-Aussie himself, writes on Sept. 4th that "Sadly, Steve Irwin wasn’t a creationist. He mentioned evolution and the concept of millions of years many times in his television programs. For example, he once told Larry King on CNN’s Larry King Live cable program that crocodiles had been around for 200 million years, and if you weren’t careful they would kill you. ... At Answers in Genesis, we have written many articles about why death and suffering exist in this fallen world. ... For all Steve Irwin’s popularity, for all the worldly goods he may have obtained, none of this could save him from the penalty that we are all under as children of Adam—death."

Source: http://www.answersingenesis.org/docs2006/0904irwin.asp

Is Roswell UFO Fad becoming a "Thing of the Past"?

Roswell researcher Dennis Balthaser comments on Sept. 1st "Is the Roswell UFO Museum & Annual UFO Festival becoming a thing of the past? As one who remains dedicated to researching the Roswell Incident, it concerns me that the International UFO Museum and Research Center and the annual Roswell UFO Festival seem to have deteriorated to an embarrassment for the city of Roswell and those of us that remain interested in obtaining the truth. ... This past July the number of visitors to Roswell for the annual event was pathetically low, and no one with the UFO committee involved in organizing this year’s festival, headed up by Museum Director, Julie Shuster, has come forward with any numbers of how few attended. The loss of revenue to the museum and the city of Roswell this year appears to be staggering, and many believe it can be directly attributed to the UFO committee, and the manner in which it was presented. ... perhaps changes are needed not only with the Director and certain board members but also with the need to work with the community for the benefit of all of Roswell, and finally to make the 'Roswell Incident' a household name again worldwide as it was in the 90’s. ..."

Source: http://www.truthseekeratroswell.com/ed090106.html

Creos Protest Museum Hominid Displays in Kenya...

The Middle East Times reports on Sept. 5th that "The global debate between scientists and conservative Christians over evolution has hit Kenya, where an exhibit of one of the world's finest collections of early hominid fossils is under threat. As the famed National Museum of Kenya (NMK) prepares to re-open next year after massive EU-funded renovations, evangelicals are demanding that the display be removed or at least shunted to a less prominent location. The 'Origins of Man' exhibit, comprised of prehistoric finds from around Africa's Great Rift Valley considered by many to be the cradle of humanity, is offensive as it promotes Charles Darwin's theory of evolution, they say. 'When museums put it out there that man evolved from apes, theologically they are affecting many people who are Christians, who believe God created us,' says Bishop Boniface Adoyo, who is leading a campaign against the exhibit. 'It's creating a big weapon against Christians that's killing our faith,' he said, calling evolution theory an 'insult' and dangerous to youths. 'When children go to museums they'll start believing we evolved from these apes. ' ..."

Source: http://www.metimes.com/articles/normal.php?StoryID=20060905-064937-7210r

Tree of Life Analysis Beginning to Bear Fruit...

National Geographic reports on Sept. 6th that "New cures, supercrops, and secrets of evolution may emerge from the fast-growing branches of the 'Tree of Life,' scientists say. The increasing availability of genetic information—and the computer technology to analyze it—is allowing researchers to begin drawing a detailed picture of how life on Earth originated, adapted, and diversified. 'A huge amount of progress has been made over the last decade,' said Michael Donoghue, a biologist at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. ... Donoghue ... says scientists can use the tree to understand where emerging infectious diseases originate and to search for organisms that have evolved resistance to the diseases in question. Such clues can lead to the development of new drugs, he says. 'Applications are everywhere,' he said. So too are discoveries, he adds. For example, Tree of Life researchers have learned that fungi—mushrooms and the like—are more closely related to animals than plants. 'This is not just dotting I's and crossing t's,' Donoghue said—assembling the tree is more than simply organizing previously known information. 'There are some really exciting things being discovered.' ..."

Source: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/09/060906-genes-dna.html?source=rss

NYC Nuke Threat Predictions Expanded...

For a while there, the folks at TrueBibleCode.com were predicting a nuclear explosion in New York City every weekend, only to revise the prediction for the next weekend on Monday Morning. Now, they are learning to make the predictions a little fuzzier. It improves the chances of getting a prediction correct, and it saves them from having to eat crow on a weekly basis. The new Prediction: "The UN in Midtown Manhattan will be hit by a sea borne nuclear bomb on the Jewish Sabbath from Sundown Friday to Sundown Saturday September 8th/9th or 15th/16th or 22nd/23rd."

Source: http://www.truebiblecode.com/nyc.html

Posted September 1st, 2006

Scientists going after Building Blocks of Hurricanes...

The Sydney Morning Herald (AU) reports on August 29th that "As Ernesto, the first hurricane of the season, threatened the coasts of Cuba, Haiti and the US, US scientists were working in west Africa to unearth the secrets of tropical storms. Eighty per cent of tropical storms that hit the US start life in the waters off Africa, but little is known about why some collapse and others turn into deadly hurricanes. To find out what happens, meteorologists are flying planes through tropical disturbances off the west African coast. ..."

Source: http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/scientists-seek-to-uncover-building-blocks-of-hurricanes/2006/08/28/1156617275373.html

Sylvia Browne Melts Down on Montel...

This week's YouTube offering shows notorious "psychic medium" Sylvia Browne fumbling completely while trying to "divine" the cause of an audience member's loved one's death. The segment only lasts a minute - and that should be more than enough to end the "career" of Browne, forever. (Not that it will -but it should!)

Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBNp1Y7fiwA

SMART 1 to Smack Into Moon this Weekend...

Sky & Telescope reports on August 30th that "A largely unheralded spacecraft, which has been in lunar orbit for nearly two years, is about to end its mission in dramatic fashion. This weekend, flight controllers for the European Space Agency will allow SMART 1 to crash into the Moon's surface — with enough force, they hope, to create a brief flash visible through telescopes on Earth. ..."

Source: http://skytonight.com/news/home/3745876.html

Vatican exorcist says Hitler and Stalin were possessed by the Devil...

The Dail Mail (UK) reports on August 28th that "Adolf Hitler and Russian leader Stalin were possessed by the Devil, the Vatican's chief exorcist has claimed. Father Gabriele Amorth who is Pope Benedict XVI's 'caster out of demons' made his comments during an interview with Vatican Radio. Father Amorth said: "Of