Blogs

As a strong supporter of public broadcasting, I just sent the following message to the CPB Board. If you are so inclined, please follow my lead. Also, Common Cause has a petition on the subject at
http://www.commoncause.org/protectpublicbroadcasting

To the Board of Directors, CPB,  Read More »

I knew it was only a matter of time before someone on the conservative side of the fence came out with a justification for Darth Vadar and the Dark Side in Star Wars. NPR aired this segment today, entitled "A flawed despot is better than a smug Jedi."

The segment features the opinion of Jonathan Last, editor of the conservative magazine, The Weekly Standard. Last argues that the Empire is good, because Emperor Palpatine promotes stability and order. Under the Republic, things were run by ineffectual bureaucrats and arrogant Jedi, who had to be born with a certain type of blood to become Jedi. "At least the Empire is a meritocracy," says Last, who is also sure that Vadar at least makes sure the trains run on time.  Read More »

If you have watched any of the right-wing media in the past four months, no doubt you've heard the controversy surrounding University of Colorado ethnic studies professor Ward Churchill. This began back in February when some conservatives took offense to his post-September 11th essay written in 2001 titled: "Some People Push Back: On the Justice of Roosting Chickens" In this essay Churchill compares victims of September 11th to 'little Eichmanns' after Nazi Adolph Eichmann. Despite the rather insensitive means of how he posits his argument, Churchill does make a good point. He argues that Americans should not feign innocence after 9/11 when for centuries U.S. foreign policy has slaughtered innocent victims and substantiated violence. Churchill aptly states, 'what goes around comes around.' Whether you agree with him or not, he has illustrated why he is a successful professor and frankly, an asset to the university, as he has made us all think critically of our own actions.  Read More »

Received this via email. We'll post it here so more people can get to it online.

The American Institute of Physics Bulletin of Science Policy News
Number 70: May 18, 2005

AAPT Statement on the Teaching of Evolution and Cosmology

Threats to the teaching of high-quality, peer-reviewed science
continue to arise in school districts around the country. "Although
the controversy focuses primarily on biology," National Academy of
Sciences President Bruce Alberts warned Academy members earlier this
year that "some who challenge the teaching of evolution in our
nation's schools have also focused their sights on the earth and
physical sciences" (see http://www.aip.org/fyi/2005/049.html).

The American Institute of Physics (AIP) and many of its Member
Societies have been active in monitoring this issue and, in some
instances, taking actions to defend the teaching of high-quality
science in science classrooms. To address efforts "to weaken and
even to eliminate significant portions of evolution and cosmology"
from state and local educational objectives, the Executive Board of
the American Association of Physics Teachers, an AIP Member Society,
recently adopted a statement on the teaching of evolution and
cosmology. The text of the April 24 statement follows:

"AAPT Statement on the Teaching of Evolution and Cosmology

"The Executive Board of the American Association of Physics Teachers
is dismayed at organized actions to weaken and even to eliminate
significant portions of evolution and cosmology from the educational
objectives of states and school districts.

"Evolution and cosmology represent two of the unifying concepts of
modern science. There are few scientific theories more firmly
supported by observations than these: Biological evolution has
occurred and new species have arisen over time, life on Earth
originated more than a billion years ago, and most stars are at
least several billion years old. Overwhelming evidence comes from
diverse sources - the structure and function of DNA, geological
analysis of rocks, paleontological studies of fossils, telescopic
observations of distant stars and galaxies - and no serious
scientist questions these claims. We do our children a grave
disservice if we remove from their education an exposure to firm
scientific evidence supporting principles that significantly shape
our understanding of the world in which we live.

"No scientific theory, no matter how strongly supported by available
evidence, is final and unchallengeable; any good theory is always
exposed to the possibility of being modified or even overthrown by
new evidence. That is at the very heart of the process of science.
However, biological and cosmological evolution are theories as
strongly supported and interwoven into the fabric of science as any
other essential underpinnings of modern science and technology. To
deny children exposure to the evidence in support of biological and
cosmological evolution is akin to allowing them to believe that
atoms do not exist or that the Sun goes around the Earth.

"We believe in teaching that science is a process that examines all
of the evidence relevant to an issue and tests alternative
hypotheses. For this reason, we do not endorse teaching the
"evidence against evolution," because currently no such scientific
evidence exists. Nor can we condone teaching "scientific
creationism," "intelligent design," or other non-scientific
viewpoints as valid scientific theories. These beliefs ignore the
important connections among empirical data and fail to provide
testable hypotheses. They should not be a part of the science
curriculum.

"School boards, teachers, parents, and lawmakers have a
responsibility to ensure that all children receive a good education
in science. The American Association of Physics Teachers opposes all
efforts to require or promote teaching creationism or any other
non-scientific viewpoints in a science course. AAPT supports the
National Science Education Standards, which incorporate the process
of science and well-established scientific theories including
cosmological and biological evolution.

"This statement was adopted by the Executive Board of the American
Association of Physics Teachers on April 24, 2005."

In cooperation with many of its Member Societies, AIP continues to
track attempts around the country to dilute the science taught in
science classrooms. In some instances, AIP and several Member
Societies have initiated such responses as writing letters to school
boards and state and local officials, encouraging individual
scientists to testify at hearings, issuing news alerts, and
encouraging other grassroots initiatives.

###############
Audrey T. Leath
Media and Government Relations Division
The American Institute of Physics
fyi@aip.org www.aip.org/gov
(301) 209-3094
##END##########

I'm curious to hear what students think about this. I've seen some MTV videos that go too far with sexual suggestiveness, but do we really need laws that penalize high school cheerleaders for shaking their rear-ends?

For those who haven't heard, the Texas house recently gave preliminary approval to a bill that would crack down on "sexually suggestive" routines by cheerleaders, drill teams, or other public school performance groups. The bill is sponsored by Rep. Al Edwards, D-Houston. According to the Houston Chronicle, Edwards suggested that "inappropriate cheerleading routines contribute to a social atmosphere
that encourages teen pregnancy, poor scholastic performance,
criminality and the spread of sexually transmitted diseases."  Read More »

This story prompted several comments from angry libertarians when I posted it a couple days ago. I'll promote it to the front page in hopes that we'll get some more level-headed comments from the general public. I first heard the story on The Daily Show (May 12), but it's been reported in the general news media as well.  Read More »

Rape Trauma Services is a center for healing and violence prevention in Burlingame, California.

http://www.rapetraumaservices.org/
650-692-RAPE (7273)

The UAB Basketball
Tournament is the flagship fundraising effort for the
Twilight Basketball Crime Prevention Project and is
one of the country’s most competitive and storied
amateur basketball tournaments. For nearly two decades,
the best street ballers in the San Francisco Bay Area
have battled to save their neighborhood’s youth.  Read More »