Bill Nye the Science Guy is a true hero…

… but he did not, as a mischievously placed article put out by the Daily Currant stated, use foul language and push science versus creationism arguments challenging Todd Akin to a debate.

This happened after a video was released on You Tube saying evolution is the fundamental idea in all of life science, in all of biology. According to Bill Nye, aka “the science guy,” if grownups want to “deny evolution and live in your world that’s completely inconsistent with everything we observe in the universe, that’s fine, but don’t make your kids do it because we need them.”

Here’s the video:

See. Pretty damned specific.

Just for your entertainment, however, here is Bill Nye on Seattle’s “Almost Live” in his superhero guise as Speed Walker:

Thanks, thanks, thanks to Bill Nye. It’s good having him around.

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• Creation Museum’s Ken Ham: ‘Bill Nye Really Doesn’t Understand Science’ (patheos.com)
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• Bill Nye Blasts Todd Akin, Challenges ‘Fucking Idiot’ to Debate | The Daily Currant (2012indyinfo.com)

Bill Nye the Science Guy says don’t teach your kids Creationism.

 

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Scientist and children’s television personality Bill Nye, in a newly released online video, panned biblical creationism and implored American parents who reject the scientific theory of evolution not to teach their beliefs to their youngsters.

“I say to the grownups, ‘If you want to deny evolution and live in your world that’s completely inconsistent with everything we’ve observed in the universe that’s fine. But don’t make your kids do it,’” said Nye, best known as host of the educational TV series “Bill Nye the Science Guy.”

If I were a professional educator, I would give Bill Nye my thanks for coming out with this video:

Evolution is the fundamental idea in all of life science, in all of biology. Creationism is not.

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• Bill Nye: Please don’t teach your kids creationism, because it is crazy (rawstory.com)
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• Bill Nye “The Science Guy” Slams Creationism (wreg.com)
• Bill Nye the Science Guy says creationism not good for kids (vancouverdesi.com)
• Bill Nye to Creationists: Save Your Children! (thehollywoodgossip.com)
• Bill Nye Blasts Creationism (sensuouscurmudgeon.wordpress.com)

 

Science vs. God – America is becoming ignorant.

Gallup has released the results of a national poll on science, and unfortunately, modern biology didn’t fare well:

“Forty-six percent of Americans believe in the creationist view that God created humans in their present form at one time within the last 10,000 years.”

In fact, only 15% believed in evolution with God playing no part in everything (ie: the major premise of modern science.)

Here in America we used to have a competitive edge in science… now we are falling way behind competing countries. We need to start taking science seriously again –  ignorance costs far too much. Results such as those of the Gallup poll should serve as a wake-up call.

Neil deGrasse Tyson gave a lecture a few years ago on the “philosophy of ignorance,” in which he said a lack of appreciation for basic scientific principles will hurt America’s scientific output, which has traditionally been the nation’s largest economic engine.

“If nonscience works its way into the science classroom, it marks … the beginning of the end of the economic strength this country has known,” Tyson said.

If you care about American economic competitiveness you have to care about science.

Related articles

• Gallup Poll: 46% of Americans Are Creationists (patheos.com)
• Gallup: Most Americans Did Not Evolve (towleroad.com)
• Evolution acceptance still flatlined in America (whyevolutionistrue.wordpress.com)
• Creationism harms America: Religion breeds ignorance (examiner.com)
• Almost Half Of Americans Still Believe In Creationism (businessinsider.com)
• The Neil DeGrasse Tyson Book You Should Give To All Your Friends [Book Review] (io9.com)
• Neil deGrasse Tyson defending science (redglitterx.wordpress.com)
• The Tide Comes in… (duh) (anolistollis.wordpress.com)
• Must watch: Neil deGrasse Tyson Discusses the Link Between Space and Culture [Video] (io9.com)
• Neil deGrasse Tyson: Atheist or Agnostic? (bigthink.com)
• Neil deGrasse Tyson Explains Why Astrophysics Makes the Most Sense (this8bitlife.com)

The Great Southern Primary Day

Well, it’s the Tuesday of the Alabama and Mississippi Republican Primaries (and the Hawaii Caucus as well), and everyone is waiting to see who carries the South.

All of the remaining candidates have been sucking up in great Southern fashion (of course, Ron Paul remains in his same format… no need to change here.) Romney raves over “cheesy grits,” although I’m not sure they will ever get on his campaign plane’s menu. Santorum pushes himself as the “true Conservative”when he faces the Romney challenge. Newt knows he is from the south and needs to get at least one of the two states to maintain his position if there is a brokered convention.

Of course, all of them have to look squarely in the eye of the EDUCATED SOUTHERN CONSERVATIVE POPULATION! How educated? Well, as examples:

The poll of Mississippi Republicans found that 52% said they believed Obama is a Muslim, 36% weren’t sure and only 12% said they believed he is a Christian

_____________________

Alabama Poll

See? This is a thinking group of voters who are not held back by either truth or proof. They believe what they want to believe, right or wrong. How this relates to the current candidates, we will know tomorrow.

And a Quote for This Evening…

“I was taught evolution in high school. I do believe in it. I’m a huge science geek. [...] I like to believe in the big bang theory and, you know, the evolution of humans throughout time.”

- California’s 21-year-old Alyssa Campanella, the 60th Miss USA, and one of only two contestants (out of 51) who believe in evolution.

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The Intelligence of Populations… at least the U.S. is smarter than Turkey!

There is more stupidity than hydrogen in the universe, and it has a longer shelf life.    -Frank Zappa

Darwin would be astonished if he came back today. After all the scientific and academic proof since the publication of On The Origin Of The Species 152 years ago establishing the reality of Evolution, it is interesting how much disbelief there is in the concept.

If you look at people who either do not believe in Evolution, or are not sure that it is real, close to 55% of Americans are still in doubt about it (approximately 43% reject it completely). This is because of what? Inferior education? Religious belief in Creationism? Genetic stupidity?

If you remember prior to the Republican primaries for the 2008 Presidential elections, in a debate among eight contenders, the questioner asked which of them did not believe in Evolution. All but one raised their hands… supposedly men with the intelligence to lead a country.

So when I happened on this statistical chart while tooling around the net, I was surprised to find that we were 18th in Public Acceptance of Evolution out of 19 countries represented. Indeed, the only country we surpass is Turkey:

When we look at situations like that in Louisiana, which we reported on the other day, where the teaching of Creationism joins, or even replaces, the teaching of Evolution,  you would think we were back in the 1925 and observing the Scopes trial,  where a high school biology teacher, John Scopes, was accused of violating Tennessee’s Butler Act which made it unlawful to teach evolution.

I doubt if many of our current students are aware of this trial… it’s probably not brought up in history classes. Possibly they have seen the play or film Inherent The Wind which was based on this trial, but that is probably as close as they can get to it (unless they live in Dayton, TN, the site of the trial. Since 1987, the city of Dayton has staged a reenactment of the trial using the original transcripts, performing it in the same courtroom in which the trial took place. The annual event occurs during Dayton’s Scopes Trial festival with several performances showing over the weekend.)

One would hope we can develop the scientific intelligence to be up there with Iceland, Denmark and Sweden… although it seems unlikely in the near future.

Related articles

• Monkey Trial II: Tenn. House Passes Bill Permitting Teachers To Teach The “Controversy” Over Evolution (jonathanturley.org)
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• Tennessee Pushes Legislation to Safeguard Anti-Evolution Teachers (redantliberationarmy.wordpress.com)
• THE TENNESSEE EVOLUTION BILL IS DUMB, but Doug Mataconis is wrong to blame Republicans for anti-evol… (pajamasmedia.com)
• Chris Christie: My opinion on evolution? “None of your business” (hotair.com)
• Attacks Mount on Teaching of Evolution (livescience.com)
• Sam Harris on accommodationism – Sam Harris – The Moral Landscape (richarddawkins.net)
• Evolution in America: Why Are We So Far Behind? (releasingreligion.blogspot.com)
• Get Your Intelligent Design Out of My Science Classroom (releasingreligion.blogspot.com)
• The Evolution Wars (time.com)
• Why The Atlantic’s 1860 Review Was a Key Victory for Darwin (theatlantic.com)

Happy Darwin Day!

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If you want to know why having Republican majorities in either part of Congress or in the Presidency is so scary:

clipped from www.huffingtonpost.com A new Gallup poll, released Dec. 17, reveals that 40 percent of Americans still believe that humans were created by God within the last 10,000 years. This number is slightly down from a previous high of 47 percent in 1993 and 1999. Another 38 percent of respondents believe that humans have evolved from more basic organisms but with God playing a role in the process. A mere 16 percent of respondents subscribed to the belief of “secular evolution”: that humans have evolved with no divine guidance. However, this number has nearly doubled from nine percent of respondents in a poll from 1982 The poll also revealed that beliefs in creationism and evolution are strongly related to levels of education attained. When results are narrowed to those with college degrees, only 37 percent of respondents maintain beliefs in creationism. With regards to political affiliation, a majority of Republicans (52 percent) subscribe to creationist beliefs.

Oh well, joys of the Christmas Season. We’re a good three centuries away from the world waking up (I don’t even want to get into Islam or Judaism).

Bill Maher Scores Again…

It’s another week and Bill Maher has released another clip of Christine O’Donnell (he says he’ll do one every week until she agrees to come on his current show… she did 22 or 23 of his old shows…):

The highlight:

O’DONNELL: You know what, evolution is a myth. And even Darwin himself -
Story continues below

MAHER: Evolution is a myth? Have you ever looked at a monkey?

O’DONNELL: Well then, why they — why aren’t monkeys still evolving into humans?

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• Christine O’Donnell: ‘Evolution Is A Myth. Why Aren’t Monkeys Still Evolving Into Humans?’ (VIDEO) (huffingtonpost.com)
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150 Years ago today: Darwin published The Origin of the Species

This is certainly one of the more historic days in science and intellectual thought. Darwin’s Theory of Revolution (which, of course, most of the Civilized orld accepts as fact) started it’s long road of education and conflict with religious theory and unsubstantiated concepts. On this date, 150 years ago, Darwin published The Origin of the Species.

The incredible thing is that we haven’t gotten to a full, 100% acceptance of Evolution by this time. While even Roman Catholicism has now recognized Evolution as scientific fact, the largely American-based protestant right wingers still try to convince us of the pure accuracy of the Bible and the 6,000 or so year-old history of our world. If a couple of centuries from now, scholars look back and laugh at America as it struggles to bring Evolution into the cross-the-board curriculum, how can we be surprised.