Issue 77
News: Teach what controversy?
The more that one looks at the intelligent design/evolution debate, the more one hears the phrase "teach the controversy." The basic meaning behind this phrase is that the creationists seem to be under the misaprehension that scientific support for evolution is falling and that support for creationism is rising, thus students have a right to know about creationism, because it may become the main belief of the scientific community in a short time. There is only one problem with this idea: It's absolutely bogus. One major reason this is so is because scientists no longer need to debate whether evolution is in fact occurring because by this point in time, scientists already have enough evidence to see that evolution does, in fact, occur. By now, one should know that I believe that the evidence for evolution greatly outweighs that of intelligent design, and certainly outweighs that of Young Earth Creationism. The main supporters of this phrase call themselves the Discovery Institute, who also maintain a list of roughly 300 scientists who apparently doubt evolution, although the language that the signatories had to agree to is vague, stating things like "random changes" are "dangerous", which may or may not be a poorly worded reference to Evolution being a dangerous idea. This petition has been spoofed by the NCSE's Project Steve, whose signed statement is less ambiguous about evolution, and has almost 700 signatories, all of whose first names are a variation of "Stephen". The implication here is that if a poorly worded statement about evolution can only muster 300 signatures, and a more consise statement among people with more or less the same name gets twice as many signatures, there is clearly no controversy to teach, except those of parents who are angry because it doesn't exactly line up with their religious beliefs.
Band Name of the Day: The Righteous Sinners. Oxymoronic phrases always make good band names.
Film Idea of the Day: American Band. In the film, a national battle of the bands takes place on the township, county, state, and national levels. This mostly focuses on the county levels of the American Band battle of the bands, specifically Cook County. The Niles Township representative band the MegaMinis, as a joke, spike the drink of the singer of a rival band with something which makes his voice sound like Tom Waits. After the audience laughs at him, the rival band's manager decides to ensure victory by any means necessary, including by murder. Fortunately, they manage to solve the problem and win the contest.
Film Review of the Day: Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film For Theaters. This movie has a very long and convoluted plot which involves aliens, french fries, Phil Collins' "In the Air Tonight", an Immortal piece of exercise equipment, and lofts on the South Jersey Shore. Despite this complicated plot, this must be one of the best movies I have ever seen in a theatre.
Quote of the Day: "We are drawn to the unescapable conclusion that Mr. Keeler writes his peculiar novels merely to satisfy his own undisciplined urge for creative joy."
_________The New York Times
Link of the Day: The website of a writer who writes the strangest horror fiction imaginable.
New Tract: Free At Last, an all-black version of Jack's recent and surprisingly Becketesque tract Set Free.
The more that one looks at the intelligent design/evolution debate, the more one hears the phrase "teach the controversy." The basic meaning behind this phrase is that the creationists seem to be under the misaprehension that scientific support for evolution is falling and that support for creationism is rising, thus students have a right to know about creationism, because it may become the main belief of the scientific community in a short time. There is only one problem with this idea: It's absolutely bogus. One major reason this is so is because scientists no longer need to debate whether evolution is in fact occurring because by this point in time, scientists already have enough evidence to see that evolution does, in fact, occur. By now, one should know that I believe that the evidence for evolution greatly outweighs that of intelligent design, and certainly outweighs that of Young Earth Creationism. The main supporters of this phrase call themselves the Discovery Institute, who also maintain a list of roughly 300 scientists who apparently doubt evolution, although the language that the signatories had to agree to is vague, stating things like "random changes" are "dangerous", which may or may not be a poorly worded reference to Evolution being a dangerous idea. This petition has been spoofed by the NCSE's Project Steve, whose signed statement is less ambiguous about evolution, and has almost 700 signatories, all of whose first names are a variation of "Stephen". The implication here is that if a poorly worded statement about evolution can only muster 300 signatures, and a more consise statement among people with more or less the same name gets twice as many signatures, there is clearly no controversy to teach, except those of parents who are angry because it doesn't exactly line up with their religious beliefs.
Band Name of the Day: The Righteous Sinners. Oxymoronic phrases always make good band names.
Film Idea of the Day: American Band. In the film, a national battle of the bands takes place on the township, county, state, and national levels. This mostly focuses on the county levels of the American Band battle of the bands, specifically Cook County. The Niles Township representative band the MegaMinis, as a joke, spike the drink of the singer of a rival band with something which makes his voice sound like Tom Waits. After the audience laughs at him, the rival band's manager decides to ensure victory by any means necessary, including by murder. Fortunately, they manage to solve the problem and win the contest.
Film Review of the Day: Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film For Theaters. This movie has a very long and convoluted plot which involves aliens, french fries, Phil Collins' "In the Air Tonight", an Immortal piece of exercise equipment, and lofts on the South Jersey Shore. Despite this complicated plot, this must be one of the best movies I have ever seen in a theatre.
Quote of the Day: "We are drawn to the unescapable conclusion that Mr. Keeler writes his peculiar novels merely to satisfy his own undisciplined urge for creative joy."
_________The New York Times
Link of the Day: The website of a writer who writes the strangest horror fiction imaginable.
New Tract: Free At Last, an all-black version of Jack's recent and surprisingly Becketesque tract Set Free.
Labels: Creationism, Religious Right, Tract Reviews
posted by DerekAxe at 10:36 AM
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