joy and shadows

Teens use IMs to avoid embarrassment

ETA: Phone call to Jimmy Dean from disgruntled customer

You all need to listen to this.

In the immortal words of Dr. Stan Johnson...

PHAT CITY! SCIENCE WINS AGAIN!

Judge rules against 'intelligent design' in science class

I've been following this story for a while now with trepidation. One of my major bitches with the current administration - aside from all the other bullshit - is the anti-science, pro-religious attitude. Our Fearless Leader has cut funding for the NIH and NSF, has consistently quashed pioneering research in areas he considers objectionable while flying in the face of hard data like global warming to protect his own interests, and has fostered a climate of small-minded religious justification. While I don't suggest that our Fearless Leader is responsible for intelligent design, he does encourage it, and he encourages other similar religion-based ideas to flourish under his watch.

The defeat of intelligent design in PA gives me hope that the intelligent people in this country will begin to fight back against the relentless push of a vocal, religiously motivated minority. A summary of the trial was given in the New Yorker a few weeks ago - for an excellent article on the subject, I direct you to Why Intelligent Design Isn't. (Sadly, the trial summary was not published online, but you can read a Q&A with the author here.) While my scientist's soul cringes in horror at the misinformation we are fed, at the repeated rape of our natural resources, at the anti-science crusade, this one victory gives me hope that maybe things will change.