July 13, 2011
Science Cheerleader Darlene Cavalier reports What you donât know about Ms. Virginia:
Next week, Laura Eilers, AKA Ms. Virginia , will compete for the title of Ms. United States. The Science Cheerleadersâcurrent and former NFL and NBA cheerleaders pursuing science and engineering careersâare very…
July 12, 2011
Long-time readers know that, last April and May, I invested a decent amount of time in tearing apart a book by conservative punditress S. E. Cupp. Cupp, a self-proclaimed atheist, had written a book defending the religious right, and she titled it Losing Our Religion: The Media's Attack on…
July 12, 2011
It was a hard job, but someone had to do it. A few days ago, I sat down and watched a 15 minute video of Miss USA pageant contestants as they pondered the question: Should evolution be taught in schools?
Then I watched it again. And again. Until my eardrums bled I had a complete and accurate…
July 11, 2011
Speaking, for reasons passing understanding, before the Israeli Knesset, Glenn Beck said:
I donât know a lot of Palestinians but I also donât know a lot of Jewish people either.
So, the list of things Glenn Beck can be fairly said not to "know a lot of": Palestinians, Jews, anything.
July 9, 2011
Jerry Coyne has a concern. Weighing in on the elevatorgate saga (cf.):
Over the past few days Iâve become increasingly distressed at the inability of our community to discuss an issue rationally and without rancor or name-calling. This âcampaignâ, which I agree with Miranda is vile and disgusting…
July 7, 2011
About a year ago, a month before our wedding, I was walking with my wife (wife-to-be, I guess) and some friends through New York City. It was a hot, sunny summer day, so she was in a sun dress.
We walked through parks, we met various friends throughout the city, and generally had a good time.
That…
July 6, 2011
Thanks to everyone for their help with the Miss USA survey. There were 713 responses, which should give me what I need. I'll post the results shortly. I closed the survey and have started crunching numbers.
There was a question raised about the question wording, so I changed how the questions…
July 5, 2011
Kareem Fahim reports from a rebel checkpoint outside of Tripoli:
The people fleeing Tripoli on Thursday said that several neighborhoods filled with the sound of gunfire every night. At checkpoints throughout the capital, they said, paramilitaries from the dreaded Peopleâs Guard carried long lists…
July 5, 2011
The New York Times reports: E.P.A. Chief Stands Firm as Tough Rules Loom:
In the next weeks and months, Lisa P. Jackson, the Environmental Protection Agency administrator, is scheduled to establish regulations on smog, mercury, carbon dioxide, mining waste and vehicle emissions that will affect…
June 29, 2011
Last night, several folks on twitter expressed similar concerns about the wording of the survey I created and blogged about a couple days ago. Some folks taking the survey were confused about whether I wanted respondents to rate the answers by whether or not they answered the question, or by how…
June 29, 2011
Because Nobel laureate Werner Arber is addressing evolution at the Landau meeting of Nobel laureates, I thought I'd repost this piece from January 21, 2009, which was first posted from the Texas Board of Education meeting room. Enjoy.
In November, the Texas Board of Education met to consider…
June 28, 2011
Prompted by some questions on twitter and elsewhere, I'm working on some research based on the much-discussed Miss USA answers to a question about evolution.
I'd like your help with that research. I need to come up with a consistent rating of the contestants' answers, and I created a survey that…
June 22, 2011
In Slacktivist Fred Clark's regular Left Behind blogging has reached a point in the novels where an Orthodox rabbi has gone on TV to explain that Jesus is the Messiah, and Jews should all be Jews for Jesus. One of the novels' protagonists (who found Jesus after seeing a billion or so people killed…
June 21, 2011
PZ writes: Not the puppy dog!:
Religion really does make people crazy. Here's a story about a dog who walked into a Jewish court.
"The dog entered the Jerusalem financial court several weeks ago and would not leave, reports Israeli website Ynet."
"It reminded a judge of a curse passed on a now…
June 20, 2011
Astronomer Phil Plait notes a webcomic addressing testability and the supernatural, and makes an odd endorsement of this position:
there's no such thing as the supernatural. Either something is natural -- that is, part of the Universe -- or else it doesn't exist.
If you posit some thing that has…
June 20, 2011
Daniel Loxton does the yeoman work of unearthing much of the history of Skepticism's Oldest Debate: A Prehistory of "DBAD" (1838-2010). It's too good throughout to even try pulling out a summarizing quote, so seriously, read the whole thing, and see how skeptics have been telling one another not…
June 20, 2011
I taped this back in April, and forgot all about it until I just found it online. Enjoy!
Dr. Kiki and I chatted about science education, controversies in science classrooms, and related issues. It was inspired by this presentation.
June 19, 2011
Sir Charles says he's glad he didn't come to Netroots Nation this year. Reading about a panel on LGBT rights and immigration, he sees too many people claiming the President failed, rather than realism about the political system's current state:
It seems pretty clear to me that Obama is moving…
June 16, 2011
I'll probably be blogging here and there from Netroots Nation in Minneapolis, but you're likely to see much more action on my twitter account: @JoshRosenau
June 15, 2011
The National Center for Science Education is hiring a Climate Change Programs and Policy Director:
NCSE seeks candidates for our Climate Change Programs and Policy Director.
The Climate Change Programs and Policy Director's duties will include:
* counseling teachers, administrators, parents, and…
June 14, 2011
Chris Mooney's Republican War on Science is an important look at a pattern of anti-science policies by Republican politicians. When it came out, my review's main concern was "the only paths available to a Republican party that wants to promote a religious/corporate agenda contrary to the values of…
June 14, 2011
There's a lot of good value in You Are Not So Smart's take on the Backfire Effect:
The Misconception: When your beliefs are challenged with facts, you alter your opinions and incorporate the new information into your thinking.
The Truth: When your deepest convictions are challenged by…
June 13, 2011
Hitchens on the Art of the Feud - NYTimes.com:
according to some famous combatants, the death of the literary feud has been greatly exaggerated: the fighting will go on as long as there are writers willing to defend high principles, or at least able to pull off some devastating lines.
Perhaps no…
June 11, 2011
Shepherd Book â Serenity:
Why when I talk about belief, why do you always assume I'm talking about God?
Interfaith prayer meetings face opposition; some religious leaders fear pluralism:
Interfaith dialogues and worship services spread across the nation following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, â…
June 9, 2011
Just a reminder, Haeckel's embryo drawing were not fraudulent. He did the best he could with the resources available.
June 9, 2011
Politico reports on on Rick Santorum mixing it up with Rush Limbaugh:
"I believe the earth gets warmer and I also believe the earth gets cooler," Santorum said. "And I think history points out that it does that and that the idea that man, through the production of CO2 ... is somehow responsible for…
June 7, 2011
I'm super-excited for the panel I'm organizing at this year's Netroots Nation conference. As you may know, Netroots Nation is an annual gathering of progressive bloggers, policy wonks, policymakers, activists, and groupies. It's an amazing event, featuring senior officials in the Democratic party…
June 6, 2011
Jerry Coyne is trying to do math. A new survey out from Pew finds that, as in 2007, 61% of Americans say they'd be less likely to vote for someone who did not believe in God. Coyne thinks:
The unchanged level of disapprobation is a bit disconcerting, but at least gives the lie to accommodationist…
June 6, 2011
NCSE's Glenn Branch is known for his nigh-omniscience, and today he got a great scoop: the production company behind schlockumentary Expelled is going bankrupt. You'll recall Expelled: No Intelligence... as a movie so full of crap that even frontman Ben Stein acknowledges it's best watched while…
June 6, 2011
I'm incredibly proud of my Cubbies, who are taping a video for the Dan Savage-organized video project targeting anti-LGBT bullying:
The Chicago Cubs will become only the second team in professional sports to produce an "It Gets Better" video, taking a stand against anti-gay bullying and homophobia…
