1. Puncturing the Acupuncture Myth

Comment #287047 by InfuriatedSciTeacher on November 19, 2008 at 5:09 pm

Interesting article... I have personally used acupuncture and wondered whether the effect was purely placebo or it was doing something else. At times it helped and at other times it didn't do much of anything. The correlation with pressure point striking in martial arts what I'm now wondering... I've trained in that, and seen/felt the results firsthand. I know that some of the Western practitioners of that teach it as striking "nerve points" and they map the physiological responses to attacking certain areas. I was able to accept the idea of causing pain, numbing a limb, and causing someone to pass out (nervous system overload? nothing better than suggestion? I've used a point that lies over the carotid artery in self-defense on someone who had no idea what I was doing and it caused them to pass out, but that's easily explained by changes in blood flow to the brain)... the more far-fetched stories of causing death and shutting down organs and such always came off as ,well, far-fetched stories. The two concepts rely on the same system of meridians. I probably qualify as an otherwise rational person who fell for the placebo effect in at least one of the two cases.

2. God enough

Comment #287045 by InfuriatedSciTeacher on November 19, 2008 at 5:01 pm

Steve> sorry, hours of having to do something other than discuss leaves me a bit behind... from reading your posts, I find no point with which I disagree. Not being able to predict the course of natural selection, other than the classic "the most fit will survive", and certainly not with particle physics, is completely accurate. Implying that it cannot possibly be predicted with further knowledge of the systems in play is where I take issue. Not having read his research I can't be more specific, and I fully admit that I'm a staunch materialist. The concept of emergent properties as an intermediary to truly understanding something is certainly useful, I just don't agree that it's a place to rest... that seems nothing short of intellectually lazy.

3. God enough

Comment #286770 by InfuriatedSciTeacher on November 19, 2008 at 10:47 am

Mismos> If he doesn't, then I'm not disagreeing with him... it is certainly construed that he intends more from sacred than your definition allows. Claiming there is some sort of emergent complexity that is as pervasive in the evolution of life as natural selection, as Stuart does unless I misread him, is not a rational conclusion. He can "feel" that all he wants, but without evidence it's nothing better than conjecture.

4. God enough

Comment #286752 by InfuriatedSciTeacher on November 19, 2008 at 10:24 am

Anyone else read the whole article' The man isn't inherently religious, but he's clearly attempting to find some validation for Cartesian dualism. Reductionism is in and of itself not especially comforting, and perhaps he's seeking that comfort. I agree with the sense of swe and wonder that nature invokes, I just don't see any need to label it transcendantally or supernaturally...

5. Is Obama the Antichrist?

Comment #286744 by InfuriatedSciTeacher on November 19, 2008 at 10:13 am

erm... This is satirical right' woops... newsweek , it seems not then. These people are completely MENTAL.

6. Proposition 8 made me quit the Mormon church

Comment #284083 by InfuriatedSciTeacher on November 14, 2008 at 9:31 am

Wosret> Yep, you're a nasty prick.. you're also correct. I have the same problem myself, and I think I'll keep it.

7. In a Novel Theory of Mental Disorders, Parents' Genes Are in Competition

Comment #283098 by InfuriatedSciTeacher on November 13, 2008 at 6:25 am

So more dominant alleles from one parent or the other causes different types of genetic disorders' Only if those alleles are directly responsible for those disorders, one would think. This hypothesis is absolute bunk with out AT LEAST some very strong correlation between the two, which I imagine they don't have or it would be shown.

8. Catholic bishops warn Obama they'll fight on abortion: Statement to focus on 'opposing evil'

Comment #283093 by InfuriatedSciTeacher on November 13, 2008 at 6:19 am

Every sperm is sacred.
Every sperm is great.
If a sperm is wasted,
God gets quite irate.

I think that about sums it up.

9. Prediction: self-promoting hype meets interdisciplinary ignorance

Comment #283070 by InfuriatedSciTeacher on November 13, 2008 at 5:47 am

I read the paper yesterday, and the point made is that with two proteins in the electron transport chain, each has a mitigating effect on changes in the other. The conclusion in the paper that caused the furor was

The observation that coevolving bipolymer sequences may optimally control each other's evolution raises the prospect of artificial optimal control of evolutionary dynamics

Taken in context, as the following line refers to manipulating proteins in viruses, the intent is that IF these proteins optimally control one another, it could be useful in medical applications because we (humans) could make the same adjustments, ie prevent viral mutation, create therapies using the concept (don't ask me for what, the author suggests it).

What's more, this claim comes at the end of the conclusions, and is not the focal point of the paper.

10. Islamic radicals make mockery of hate laws

Comment #282133 by InfuriatedSciTeacher on November 11, 2008 at 5:15 pm

Fascist incitement to violence... seen that one before UK? I'd feel sorry for you, only you made it through the whole IRA shenanigans, and I have a feeling they may have been better at this than the Muslims are. It still doesn't change the fact that there is something seriously WRONG with these people. Oh yeah, it's called Islam.

11. Dr Adam Rutherford criticises teachers' views on creationism

Comment #281283 by InfuriatedSciTeacher on November 10, 2008 at 4:55 am

Jabber> No, I think they learned rather well from Joseph Goebbels that if you repeat a lie often enough, people will start to believe it. The comparison seems harsh until you examine the track record of organised religion (even over the past century) and see that it is easily as vile as that of the Thrid Reich.

12. Interview with Richard Dawkins on fairy tales and retirement

Comment #280049 by InfuriatedSciTeacher on November 6, 2008 at 7:18 pm

I've been reading the comments without the ability to view the video, which I've lately corrected. I would certainly like to see the evidence when it is unveiled, but it seems from the interview that Prof Dawkins is not stating that he thinks the stories themselves might be pernicious, rather that raising children to BELIEVE in those stories might be. I can't find an argument against that viewpoint that I'd consider valid. Children, and all people, need to see things rationally and as they are. As someone who was raised on the combination of sci-fi/fantasy novels and science books, I learned that one was wonderful entertainment and the other was just as fascinating as an account of the real world. If I've misinterpreted his viewpoint I'll take correction on it, but I think the title is rather misleading in terming it a warning. I can't see where it follows logically that giving children entertainment that steps out of the realm of actuality would be harmful to their critical thinking ability if that entertainment is presented as "make-believe". Rather I would surmise that it improves critical thinking by presenting fictitious accounts alongside the real ones as a standard of comparison... perhaps that isn't the way in which most children are introduced to that sort of fiction. So basically, I would share the agnosticism on this point Dr. D, but I would state that it may depend more upon the manner in which the information is presented than whether or not it is presented at all.

13. Prepare for an ugly battle in Texas

Comment #277308 by InfuriatedSciTeacher on November 3, 2008 at 11:20 am

MaxD> well said... If that had been mentioned earlier in the season, it would have been worthwhile for one of us to research state school board candidates and post the results here... Perhaps next election' (question)

14. Fred Phelps's son is an atheist: Running from hell

Comment #277306 by InfuriatedSciTeacher on November 3, 2008 at 11:17 am

*cringing* What's the statute of limitations on child abuse in Kansas' This degenerate belongs in prison.


Apparently we're still having issues with question marks...

15. Prepare for an ugly battle in Texas

Comment #277178 by InfuriatedSciTeacher on November 3, 2008 at 7:16 am

Christopher Davis

Damn people. I've only read the first twenty comments and already I've come across crass generalizations regarding concealed weapons permits, college football, anthropologists, and people from the south in general.

None of these attributes make you de-facto stupid and/or backwards.

Fair... they are certainly gross generalisations... You grew up in Alabama, care to inform us how MOST of the population of your state would approach this' I'd agree that this phenomenon is not limited to the South.. the Dover Trial was in PA, and there have been state school board elections that hinged on this issue in Ohio. Never the less, the region of the country in which you live has 1) a higher percentage of fundamentalist Christians than the rest, 2) a record of ignorance and intolerance that runs from Jim Crow (which everyone contributed to, admittedly) through, oh, about a month ago , and 3)a large un/undereducated rural population (if your counter to this statement is going to involve post-secondary educators, I'd leave it off... they didn't come from that region for the most part). I've lived in NY and NC for 17 years and 12 years respectively, and while the former is not without its fundie wackaloons, there are more of them, and more vocal ones, in the South. Southerners as a whole may not be less intelligent, but you have a larger percentage of those charicatures of humanity you like to call rednecks. The accent isn't helping your cause much either (yes, I'm aware that it has nothing to do with intelligence, but wow does it sound like it does... perceptions sway on such things).
To address the actual issue of the article, not only are the Texas Creationist politicians pretending this is balanced, but like everywhere else, people in Texas VOTED on this. So, the citizens chose whatever it is they're about to end up with, and my sympathy goes more to neighbouring states that end up having to adopt whatever POS texts that are published for Texas.

16. Prepare for an ugly battle in Texas

Comment #276653 by InfuriatedSciTeacher on November 2, 2008 at 9:31 am

I'm aware that many here don't like him because he's a theist, but I sat in a talk Ken Miller gave on Friday on this topic... he pointed out that despite what we seem to think, this is not limited to the south. He also presented a number of resources for HS teachers to deal with the inevitable questions, a guide to refute the set of 10 questions from Answers in Genesis, and agreed with Myers that this is NOT going to go away. I had the privilege of an individual discussion with him afterward, and while his cognitive dissonance is GLARING (he includes his religion as an unnecessary add-on to acceptance in evolution, which he fully conceded violates logical thought. "That's why it's called faith", was the response), he also stated the intent to continue combating creationism in science courses, to the point of offering to come speak in any school district that is being pressured to include it in their classes. While many of us would prefer an atheist, at least he's trying to help. Texans, email the man.

17. May your god go with you

Comment #272177 by InfuriatedSciTeacher on October 27, 2008 at 4:41 am

1. Comment #271804 by polestar on October 26, 2008 at 3:35 pm
And the reviewer stoops to that old Lefty standby of comparing anti-communism with witch-hunts: witches don't exist, Communists do.

Correct, one was searching for something that they couldn't possibly find, and the other for something that they rarely found. Have you chosen to ignore that fact that the entire point of that comparison is that both "hunts" used the same standards of evidence (namely that accusation amounts to proof)' During both the Salem Witch Trials and McCarthy's lovely little attempt at a purge, people used fear-mongering to discredit their political opponents. Guilt by association is not credible unless some form of evidence can actually back up the insinuations.

Perhaps there is some "old lefty standby" aspect of this comparison that I've missed'



Edit: I'd love to have question marks work, but they turn up as '

18. Countdown: Palin Wants To Help Special Needs Kids By Doing Away With Science

Comment #271641 by InfuriatedSciTeacher on October 26, 2008 at 8:50 am

129. Comment #271544 by zeerust2000 on October 25, 2008 at 11:50 pm
Unbelievable, coming from someone in line for the presidency. Is the United States really this wierd, that someone like Sarah Palin can run for vice president' Or is she just an unfortunate anomaly'

In the US, we don't actively choose candidates for the vice presidency, the convention for whatever party to which they belong does. That being said, I'm frightened to consider that if she's a minority, she's part of a LARGE minority. Her anti-science/anti-intelligence views are strongly accepted by the American public as a whole, because many Americans (at least the ones I run into) attach some sort of stigma to actually being able to understand things. That, and a fair number of the more intelligent citizens I've met (within proportion to the nation as a whole) are still Christian fundamentalists who decide not to apply their intelligence to certain matters. All the nice little bubbles of academia in this country should pull a John Galt and snicker at the mess from ,say, New Zealand (or anywhere else that's far enough away from the blast zone that it won't glow in the dark after some nitwit pushes the 'button').

19. CFI Pushes Back Against Religious Restrictions on Free Expression, Joins Debate at UN HRC

Comment #269160 by InfuriatedSciTeacher on October 22, 2008 at 5:17 pm

If I had any artistic ability whatsoever, I'd already be drawing cartoons of Mohammed riding a pig instead of a pegasus (flying pigs are as likely as flying horses, right?), and anything else that I could create that might cause offense. Of course, I'd have to go into hiding after they were published. DISGUSTING, COWARDLY nonsense... someone needs to stand up to this inanity. Thank you, CFI.

20. Creationists declare war over the brain

Comment #269157 by InfuriatedSciTeacher on October 22, 2008 at 5:11 pm

I'm not sure I see the point of their efforts... neuroscience isn't exactly chock full of people are going to buy into the ridiculously poor logic that DI spews forth regularly, and isn't taught in K-12 education. I suppose they find is necessary to demonstrate something other than a materialist worldview in order to have ANY hope of justifying the rest of their absurd claims. Somehow, this doesn't frighten me in the least. I look forward to seeing them attempt to even UNDERSTAND Dennett, much less debate with him.

edit: in my mirth I seem to have missed a key point: these yokels don't attempt to understand anything, they deliberately MISunderstand it.

21. From Science Fiction to Science Fact

Comment #269129 by InfuriatedSciTeacher on October 22, 2008 at 4:13 pm

SPS> well said, that.

22. From Science Fiction to Science Fact

Comment #267892 by InfuriatedSciTeacher on October 21, 2008 at 8:23 am

ggab> I wasn't offended so much as trying to figure out where I fit that description... and it did start a good discussion before it regressed into bigfoot and King Kong. I have no problem with the imaginitive leaps; I was being a bit of a pedant about how he defined those leaps, because I think it would have made the idea more accessible, and perhaps better accepted.

23. Volcanic lightning may have sparked life on Earth

Comment #266222 by InfuriatedSciTeacher on October 18, 2008 at 11:47 am

NEB- someone fed you poor definitions, which are indeed circular. Monomers are perfectly functional molecules on their own. In my own (poosibly poor) attempt:
monomer- molecule that, while serving it's own purpose, can be a piece of a larger chain of molecules. ex glucose
Polymer- a chain of constituent molecules. ex: cellulose
Jamcam's post illustrates it as well as I was about to, so I'll leave it at that.

24. From Science Fiction to Science Fact

Comment #266221 by InfuriatedSciTeacher on October 18, 2008 at 11:42 am

ggab> sorry, I seem to have missed the part where I attacked Kaku for doing what he does, and the part where I was pretentious. I thought I was responding to the previous poster. As for whatever nit-picking I care to do, I'm entitled to it the same as you're entitled to make nasty comments when I'm finished nit-picking. You seem to be able to have a civil disagreement with other posters, may i ask what in particular about mine got your panties in such a bunch?

25. From Science Fiction to Science Fact

Comment #265875 by InfuriatedSciTeacher on October 17, 2008 at 12:52 pm

"Impossible" is a misnomer in this case... the author's three classes amount to: not possible under current technology but something that could be developed, implausible without serious technological advancement (like jet aircraft in the 15th century), and in complete violation of the laws of physics as we know them. I don't find the premise to be bunk whatsoever, it's the presentation with which I take issue.

26. Faith Attack

Comment #265872 by InfuriatedSciTeacher on October 17, 2008 at 12:44 pm

Children do need to be taught something about themselves, their origins, and their destiny, right? The new atheists, then, would teach their children�"what? That we're created by chance, with no ultimate purpose or destiny, and that more conscious thought went into someone spray painting graffiti on a wall than went into our existence? Children who lose siblings, friends, or parents must be taught that these people are gone forever, with no hope of ever seeing them again. The children will also learn that they themselves, and all their hopes and dreams and desires, will also one day be forever gone�"with no hope of redemption, no hope of having the hard questions answered, no hope of anything but the pain and suffering of this life, followed by the eternal blackness of a

Nihilistic take here, along with an oft-used strawman argument... Children SHOULD learn that this life is all they have, so that perhaps they'll treat it like the wonderful opportunity it is. Science provokes a sense of wonder, a feeling of amazement, that many lose when they are far too young. We should foster that wonder rather than destroying it with simplistic attributions to divine causes, and allow human beings to truly experience the incredible planet they are lucky enough to inhabit. I would greatly prefer a global society in which people act decently to one another in the here and now to one where they slaughter each other seeking advancement in their fictitious afterlife. Perhaps people could be convinced to take care of their world for their descendants if they thought it was the only real legacy that can be left for those future generations.

I have read everything the author cites, and strangely enough, seem to have missed those points he thinks he's making. The slippery-slope argument into Orwellian thoughtcrime may not be tired, but it's impressively fallacious. I doubt many of us here would rail against people holding their irrational beliefs if they chose to keep them to themselves rather than attempting to subvert the teaching of reality in schools, or killing thousands of innocent people because of those beliefs. Hold your ridiculous Bronze Age delusions all you like, just wait until people are capable of rational thought before trying to sell them... I suspect that the child abuse assertions of Dawkins and Dennett are most troubling to the religious because the intelligent religious realise that it isn't possible to sustain their control without early indoctrination.

There is no need to fear armed attack by atheists, faith-heads, inane beliefs have a tendency to melt away in the light of reality.

27. Volcanic lightning may have sparked life on Earth

Comment #265846 by InfuriatedSciTeacher on October 17, 2008 at 11:27 am

It's good to see people continuing to expand on the original Urey-Miller experiments... hopefully someone can get the conditions close enough to correct to demonstrate abiogenesis. Not that it deflates creationsit sails much, as they'll point out that there was a designer present, but I do find it fascinating.

28. The Joke's on Him: Bill Maher could use a lesson in civility from Michael Moore

Comment #265388 by InfuriatedSciTeacher on October 16, 2008 at 3:25 pm

Wait, laughing at someone's beliefs when they're completely absurd is rude? You mean to say we should show respect when someone says they believe in talking snakes or flying horses? Wow, it seems I'm unintentionally rude rather often. I think I shall just continue on with it now...

29. Citizen Enforcers Take Aim

Comment #263475 by InfuriatedSciTeacher on October 11, 2008 at 11:27 am

New England> McCain's plan, as far as I've heard, is to have the government buy up the mortgages... my idea was to take the 700 bil and split it between every American over 18 (works out to 300K or so). So, yes, those who took mortgages they can't pay would be rewarded, but you'd get a chunk too... I realise it's still pretty out there as far as solutions go, but it would definitely stimulate the economy.

30. Math Skills Suffer in U.S., Study Finds

Comment #263227 by InfuriatedSciTeacher on October 10, 2008 at 12:08 pm

Bonzai> There's something to be said for being taught by BOTH. For the concepts themselves, and a modeling approach, I would definitely want to be taught by someone with training in the field of study. Yet it's also necessary to have some insight into how the students' brains are working, methods that are tried and tested for that age level, etc, and for these things the Math ed people would come into play. I do know (yes, argument from personal experience, no stats here) that a fair percentage of the professors I had as a Bio undergrad weren't particularly adept at teaching science in any form other than pure lecture.

31. Math Skills Suffer in U.S., Study Finds

Comment #263219 by InfuriatedSciTeacher on October 10, 2008 at 12:04 pm

Caudimordax> I'm sure he did... and this is a good point. Some, but certainly not all of the people teaching the methods courses (how to teach whatever) were former K-12 teachers. I don't know if they were in your husband's case, but they should have been.

*hackles lowered* sorry for seeming to jump at you on that one.. wasn't intended to be that, but it certainly reads like it.

32. Citizen Enforcers Take Aim

Comment #263203 by InfuriatedSciTeacher on October 10, 2008 at 11:52 am

Since we've digressed to the "rescue plan", wouldn't it have been a more effective idea to take the 700 bil and dump it back in the taxpayer's pockets? If we're going to throw taxpayer money at this, I'd rather it solidify the banks by paying off all of those ill-advised mortgages (and giving me the cash to buy a house of my own) than by purchasing pieces of institutions that may still not succeed. I'm sure I'm about to get HOSED with comments about inflation, but I thought I'd throw it out there.

33. Math Skills Suffer in U.S., Study Finds

Comment #263199 by InfuriatedSciTeacher on October 10, 2008 at 11:47 am

Caudimordax> I have no idea where you are, therefor I cannot cite specific requirements... However I know in good ol' bassackwards NC, the people running a teacher certification program have to pass accreditation. The programs I've seen, and the one from which I received my master's degree and certification required split hours between education courses taught by people with doctoral degrees in education or psych, and courses in the subject area of your degree, along with a thesis. I would make the assumption that the math folks had to deal with the same hurdles I did, so they've completed a minumum of 18 hours in each, plus internship in teaching and a thesis.

Not that I don't teach alongside people who took the undergrad route, have a total of 15 hours or so in a science, and are certified to teach something they know nothing about.

34. Broken symmetry: Answering the solace of quantum

Comment #263071 by InfuriatedSciTeacher on October 10, 2008 at 7:44 am

Don Quix> That's a reasonable assertion... We have to make some distinction, however, or we end up not being able to talk about anything useful without lapsing into meaningless philosophical discussions about the relative nature of reality.

Since I happen to enjoy those meaningless discussions... Does anyone else find it plausible, with the concept that anti-matter is simply matter moving backwards in time, that the Big Bang created two universes, one moving each direction through time, and therefore the balance is still a possibility? Would that not avoid the matter-antimatter collisions that would negate the entire effect?

edit: WAY too many commas in one sentence, but I don't feel like correcting it.

35. Heavy Metal-Eating 'Superworms' Unearthed in U.K.

Comment #263065 by InfuriatedSciTeacher on October 10, 2008 at 7:31 am

Vinelectric> Presumably something would have to be done to prevent issues with biomagnification in the areas where these worms would be used. Nets over the landfill to prevent predation by birds? Things like shrews would be nearly impossible to keep out, however.

36. Mysterious Snippets Of DNA Withstand Eons Of Evolution

Comment #262621 by InfuriatedSciTeacher on October 9, 2008 at 4:53 am

It seems rather improbable that these sections of DNA aren't used for anything at all and yet persist across phylogenetic divisions. Either the sequences are attached to something useful when copied (end of a sequence for an important protein, etc), or they serve some purpose that we haven't ascertained yet. Ontogenetic timing perhaps?

37. Dawkins: a theologian's perspective

Comment #261064 by InfuriatedSciTeacher on October 6, 2008 at 11:35 am

Full of logical fallacies, as is to be expected. At least this author appears to have perused the entire table of contents, and possibly even to have read some of the book. he clearly didn't understand all of it... but it's a start. Too bad it doesn't make any of his arguments more than the load of collops they are.

38. Bill Maher's Religulous Opens Today

Comment #260634 by InfuriatedSciTeacher on October 5, 2008 at 7:20 pm

Just returned from seeing this... in Raleigh NC. Not many in the theatre, which is to be expected here, but it was well received by those who were there. For my own personal amusement, and the semi-opposing viewpoint, I took my Christian GF... she liked it, and seemed to take some of the points well. She is, as many of those interviewed in the film, undereducated about her own religion... I think that the way in which Maher gets his point across is likely to have more success with those who are wavering (or at least moderate) in their beliefs than the more forceful approach does.
There are definitely portions where the "Expelled/Michael Moore" approach is obvious... certainly over the top at points. The film is quite worth viewing, regardless of your opinions of Maher.

39. Opiate of the masses - and evolutionary aid

Comment #260145 by InfuriatedSciTeacher on October 4, 2008 at 6:23 pm

JeremyH> Reading the actual article (thanks brokenglass), the authors' implication is that the large-scale effect of religion is due to the influence of egoistic factors, i.e. that large societies bound by religion succeed more because of it, but due rather to the desire for positive social image rather than purely altruistic reasons. Any apparent altruism is for selfish reasons, and therefore would have to apply to the founders as well (note apparent).

40. Seeing Red and Blue Can Divide a Species - of Fish

Comment #260083 by InfuriatedSciTeacher on October 4, 2008 at 3:26 pm

popeye> true isolation isn't necessary when distance will do... the article does comment on intermediate forms present in the lake. I imagine, without having seen the actual research article, that this is a smaller scale version of the effect seen with herring and black-backed gulls across the northern hemisphere: Two distinct species at the ends of the range, with interbreeding of both in between.

41. Have-a-go deaths are never a waste

Comment #258475 by InfuriatedSciTeacher on October 2, 2008 at 4:51 am

I would agree with Grayling that it is ethical and necessary to intervene in such a situation, with the stipulation that the intervention taken should have a reasonable chance of success attached to it. I don't consider it realistic for someone's grandmother to attempt to physically intervene to stop a beating... but she should certainly call the police and report the incident immediately.

Leo (#2)> I had a similar situation. I worked as a bouncer while in grad school.... removed a patron for hitting his girlfriend with a closed fist in the middle of the bar, only to be bottled by her in the back of the head while I carried the guy who hit her down the stairs to the door. It won't make me decide not to intervene again, except in the case of that particular female, who can have all the beatings she likes now.

42. Brunswick school board to consider creationism teaching

Comment #256498 by InfuriatedSciTeacher on September 29, 2008 at 7:23 am

beanson> Just read the end of your post... I was Sci Department Chair for one of the middle schools for 3 years, and taught a year at another. I can say of my colleagues at the middle and high school level that they certainly were not teaching creationism. Some of them did not accept evolution, and may not have taught that either (I know of two middle school teachers who refused on the grounds that they didn't accept it), but those of us with some academic integrity would not have allowed creationism to be taught. As for those that I worked with that wouldn't teach evolution, I took their classes for that unit with them as "assistants" (they handled discipline while I covered content).

43. Brunswick school board to consider creationism teaching

Comment #256480 by InfuriatedSciTeacher on September 29, 2008 at 7:04 am

Decius>
They didn't inform us ahead of time what was on the agenda. I dealt with the choir, but walked out when the sermon began. Walked back in when I heard the applause for the end of it. Blatantly not attending would have been grounds for dismissal, although I'm sure there would have been a lawsuit in it.

44. Brunswick school board to consider creationism teaching

Comment #256338 by InfuriatedSciTeacher on September 29, 2008 at 4:38 am

Lovely... I taught in Brunswick County for my first four years.. This is not at all surprising of a Board who made us sit through a gospel choir and sermon at the beginning of a compulsory in-service for all district teachers. I will be writing them, yet again. I encourage posters here to write the Wilmington Star-News, as well as contact board members to explain to them where they've erred. Incidentally, most of these people (if you look at the school district's website) are active members in various churches as elders, etc...

Katie McGee, Superintendent kmcgee@bcswan.net

Shirley Babson, Board Chair sbabson@bcswan.net ; sbabsonbdofed@hotmail.com

Charles Miller cmiller@bcswan.net

Ray Gilbert raygilbertnc@yahoo.com

Jimmy Hobbs jimmy@hobbsrealty.com

Scott Milligan smilligan@bcswan.net

B Joseph Causey, BOARD ATTORNEY
5285 Main Street
Shallotte, NC 28470
(910) 755-6414 *no email listed*



Edit: as for "policing" the classrooms, Dr. McGee likes to wander into classes while they're being conducted. And while, yes, a number of these students are going to end up as "gun loving god fearing idiots" (thanks Laurie), there are a number of them who wouldn't be to go along with a growing number of families from less backward parts of the U.S.

45. 'All Terrorists are Darwinists': An Interview with Harun Yahya

Comment #252593 by InfuriatedSciTeacher on September 23, 2008 at 11:43 am

There are over 100 million fossils that prove creationism. And these fossils have never changed. A fish has remained a fish, a shrimp has remained a shrimp. You can find these fossils all over the world. We've put them on display in Turkey too, and people have seen them with their own eyes. That is clear proof. Unlike creationism, Darwinism has no proof of evolution theory. Its adherents haven't found any fossil evidence they could use.

I wonder how many of his fossils are made of plastic, or have barbed hooks in them.

As for the last statement, I'm not sure I could stop laughing long enough to address it. This man REALLY wants to debate RD? My high school students would shred him... (well, some of them would, the others might clap for him).

46. Interstellar Space Molecules That Help Form Basic Life Structures Identified

Comment #251775 by InfuriatedSciTeacher on September 22, 2008 at 4:33 am

Quantum flux> I didn't until I bothered to look him up... I find myself wavering between humour and disgust when confronted with the ideas of that crowd. That, and I have to try REALLY hard not to sneer when they re-hash the same argument for the 100th time.

47. Genes might not be so selfish after all

Comment #250210 by InfuriatedSciTeacher on September 19, 2008 at 4:36 am

Greyman> you've missed part of my point. The epigenetic changes remain in place for multiple generations even AFTER the environmental stimulus causing the changes in expression have gone? The research I've looked at doesn't imply that at all, which means reading anything else into it is speculation at best. Granted, there may be something I haven't looked at that implies that. As an adaptational mechanism epigenetics is certainly interesting, but unless something peer-reviewed shows that the changes persist without an environmental need for them, Linklater's point is false.



EDIT> Just realised while doing something else that your correction may have been intended toward my comment on somatic cells, in which case I have no defense other than "Oh, ok, you're right". Maybe I should read and post responses at a time when one of my colleagues isn't babbling about something...

48. Eoin Colfer to write sixth Hitchhiker's Guide book

Comment #249864 by InfuriatedSciTeacher on September 18, 2008 at 3:23 pm

I'll read it, even while expecting to be disappointed, simply because it's another HHG book. At least he isn't pretending to be Adams. On that note, I'd have rathered see Terry Pratchett attempt this, as I'm familiar with his style and think it would fit HHG well. I've heard rumours the poor man has alzheimer's, however.

49. It's All In The Hips: Early Whales Used Well Developed Back Legs For Swimming, Fossils Show

Comment #249859 by InfuriatedSciTeacher on September 18, 2008 at 3:19 pm

MrStray/Poe>

I took a couple of classes in Marine Mammology from a pair of experts in the field, and we extensively covered cetacean evolution. I've physically seen transitional fossils (on loan from somewhere presumably) as well as a number of nice photos of them. I'd like to see Dr. Simmons' response to the PCR's we ran in the lab comparing modern whale DNA with that of other extant vertebrates (since I can always use a good laugh).
Also, as I like to point out to peope that say whales had to be created as is, that there aren't any transitional forms: Ever seen a hippopotamus?

50. Genes might not be so selfish after all

Comment #249230 by InfuriatedSciTeacher on September 17, 2008 at 7:10 pm

My take on the article: 1) yes, genes, or at least their EXPRESSION, can be impacted by environmental factors. The basis for the article was not incorrect in that respect.
2) This is not a revelation in research, it's been known for a while.
3) Using the idea to postulate validity for Larmarckism (which the author does, wittingly or not) is absolute rubbish. The entire premise in this case is wrong. Unless there is something physically modifying the genetic code, i.e. a mutation, the "acquired characteristics" only express when the environmental factors that caused that expression are present. Therefore, it isn't an acquired at all, but a response to the external environment that has been prescribed by that gene. Changes in somatic cells, which the medical journals he cites are discussing, aren't in fact passed on to offspring.

So he chose to re-hash valid science and misinterpret it.Lovely.