20 November 2010 Science

Louisiana residents SHOCKED that there is science in science text books!

A group of Louisiana citizens, believed to be backed by the conservative Christian Louisiana Family Forum, are attacking the state’s proposed biology textbooks because, well, they teach too much evolution.

The Baton Rouge Advocate reported this week that a state panel is scheduled to review the issue Friday after the state’s school board held off adopting the biology I and biology II textbooks due to the complaints.

Winston White, one of the residents who complained about the books, said, “It’s like Charles Darwin and his theory is a saint. You can’t touch it.”

It’s worth noting that White is the son of Darrell White, who was one of the Louisiana Family Forum founders. This move is all part of an ongoing broader strategy, one that the LFF, which is affiliated with Focus on the Family, has been behind since the beginning.

Darrell White also told the Advocate that the textbooks don’t comply with the anti-evolution law known as the “Louisiana Science Education Act,” which the Family Forum helped write and successfully lobbied for in 2008. The LSEA instructs educators to promote “critical thinking skills, logical analysis, and open and objective discussion of scientific theories being studied including, but not limited to, evolution, the origins of life, global warming, and human cloning.” It also allows teachers and school districts to use “supplemental textbooks,” which are just code words for creationist and pro-intelligent design materials.

Once again, our stupid “your opinion counts as much as facts” meme rears its ugly head.

Astronomy This exoplanet is unusual in that it orbits a red giant and that the red giant is a star that our Milky Way galaxy took from a nearby dwarf galaxy. Bottom line: swelling to a red giant won’t destroy the planets, though it may well (almost certainly) kill off life on them.

20 November 2010 walking.

I walked a 10.15 mile walk; basically I walked from my house to the gooseloop dam and one lap of the gooseloop and back:

I went out easy and came back in 1:13; and THAT was an effort (35 to the end of the trail, 38 minutes up the hill). I honestly tried on the way back and I had good sleep last night. But I felt cruddy from this week and “gunkked up” from my allergies/cold?

I am not in good shape right now at least in terms of being in walking shape. Then again I’ve been cross training a lot (mixing in street walking, elliptical, AMT, running, hiking) and haven’t been practicing the fast walking motion enough. Then again, I am recovering from knee surgery and I should be mixing it up.

And, on the good side: no pain at night and I am taking no pain killer.

Senate: don’t block nor filibuster the START treaty

msnbc video: Spine makes rare appearance in Congressional Dems

msnbc video: Spine makes rare appearance in Con…, posted with vodpod

November 18, 2010 – Philip K. Howard – The Daily Show With Jon Stewart – Full Episode Video | Comedy Central

Glenn Beck demonstrates how George Soros plans to destroy America,Jon reveals the true puppet master, and Philip K. Howard calls for a more efficient government.

November 18, 2010 – Philip K. Howard – The Dail…, posted with vodpod

msnbc video: Pelosi, Reid urge White House to fight

msnbc video: Pelosi, Reid urge White House to f…, posted with vodpod