Archive for the ‘Members Writings’ Category
Sunday, January 17th, 2010
John Edward, Psychic Medium, October 2009 performance at the Civic Center
[The following short essay was submitted to the Post-Standard newspaper. The Post-Standard did not print the piece, even though they often publish opinion pieces of this length, nor did they contact us to ask for editorial changes or to shorten the piece. We view our essay as more than just an opinion piece. We see the publishing of this piece in a mainstream community newspaper as a public service and a public good.] continue reading
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Thursday, June 18th, 2009
Review by David Harding
Can a person not believe in God, and yet still be religious? In his latest book, former Boston Globe science writer and professor of physics at Stonehill College Chet Raymo argues that you can. continue reading
Tags: Book Reviews, chet raymo, david harding
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Sunday, April 12th, 2009
By David Harding
Many Christians in America believe that the Bible is an inerrant and thoroughly consistent book, though virtually no reputable biblical scholar has believed this for over a century. In his most recent book, Jesus, Interrupted, New Testament scholar and popularizer Bart D. Ehrman sets out to educate lay people about the contradictions in the Christian Bible, specifically in the New Testament. continue reading
Tags: bart d ehrman, Book Reviews, david harding, jesus interrupted
Posted in Book Reviews, Members Writings | 4 Comments »
Monday, January 5th, 2009
By Paul DesOrmeaux
This article appeared originally in the December 2008 Skeptical Briefs newsletter and is used by permission of the Skeptical Inquirer.
Following is a concise, authoritative, and warped timeline that more or less accurately presents the history and “facts” behind the development of creationism, creation science, Intelligent Design, and more importantly, scientific illiteracy. For an alternative, but parallel, perspective of the “other theory,” purchase the 27th Edition of Darwin’s final publication, “The Human Evolution Colouring Book.”
Days 1 through 6 In the beginning, God creates night and day, firmaments, heaven, fruit trees, poison ivy, seeds, marijuana, every living creature–including a male and female, beasts, fowl, creepy-crawly things, and killer bees–the concept of multiplication, and then, unfortunately, pulls a groin muscle. continue reading
Tags: creationism, Evolution, humor, intelligent design, paul desormeaux, satire
Posted in Articles, Members Writings | 21 Comments »
Saturday, October 18th, 2008
The middle school science classroom is often students’ first contact with a scientific presentation on evolution. This is an expanded version of the author’s article “Evolution and Middle-Level Education: Observations and Recommendations” that was published in the Jan/Feb 2005 issue of NCSE Reports. Note that this article is based primarily on the author’s experience rather than academic research. A list of selected resources follows.
Teaching Evolution to Middle Level Students
By Vince Sperrazza
August 2008
The 12 year old hand goes up at the first mention of the word evolution, “Is it true we came from monkeys?” It’s the first day of school, and I mention evolution in a list of topics for the year ahead in my 7th grade life science classes.
That’s the nature of middle school students. Impulsive, inquisitive, focused on their peers, yet they can still be excited about learning. As their brains try to catch up with their fast growing bodies, they are “hormones with feet,” as one adolescent psychologist characterized them many years ago. continue reading
Tags: education, Evolution, middle school, national center for science education, vince sperrazza
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Saturday, October 18th, 2008
By Vince Sperrazza
Imagine you’ve settled into a theater to see a 24 hour movie spectacular featuring the history of the earth.
You start at midnight, and for the first 18 hours, (think – day and a half) it’s not exciting. You have plenty of time for naps, food, and bathroom as the movie opens on an alien looking world, full of noxious clouds and meteorite strikes. The camera shows mostly microscopic views of tiny bacteria, while the sky slowly turns blue.
If you watch carefully, by about 7 PM you can see little soft bodied creatures among the bacteria. Shortly after 9, the seafloor is crawling with trilobites and waving crinoids. Nearly at 10, giant fish inhabit the water, while huge horsetails and ferns sprout up on land.
At around 10:30 it’s dinosaur time, and for about an hour, they dominate the landscape. A bit past 11:30, there’s a bright flash, then darkness. Soon the screen brightens and is filled with birds and mammals, both familiar and strange.
At about 20 seconds to midnight, you watch carefully to see early humans stalking the savannah. All of human recorded history fits within the last few seconds before midnight.
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Here are some places to start for more info
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Earth_Clock_ENG.svg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geologic_timescale
Tags: earth, earth history, vince sperrazza
Posted in Articles, Members Writings | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, September 3rd, 2008
By Mahlon Wagner, Ph. D.
It is estimated that 75% of all Americans will suffer from lower back pain (LBP) at some time. Treatment of this common ailment has been estimated to cost $24 billion every year. (Compare this to the annual cost for treating lung cancer of $4 billion.) continue reading
Tags: alternative medicine, chiropractic, mahlon wagner
Posted in Articles, Members Writings | 6 Comments »
Tuesday, September 2nd, 2008
By David Harding
Ben Stein’s Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed is certainly the most dishonest movie I have ever seen, portraying Intelligent Design supporters as political martyrs to Big Science, academia as the equivalent to the USSR, and doing everything it can to link Charles Darwin and evolution directly to the Holocaust. It truly is despicable and intellectually insipid in a way I thought not possible until now. continue reading
Tags: ben stein, creationism, david harding, Evolution, expelled movie, intelligent design
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Tuesday, September 2nd, 2008
By Bryce Hand
This letter was featured in the Kansas City Star newspaper on November 9, 2005.
To the Editor:
Tuesday was a sad day for Kansas.
Yes, there is controversy surrounding evolution, but only among nonscientists. Those who reject evolution present no arguments scientists haven’t heard (and adequately countered) again and again, and have no special knowledge that scientists have overlooked. continue reading
Tags: bryce hand, creationism, education, Evolution, intelligent design
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Tuesday, September 2nd, 2008
By Janet Factor
When the Ithaca Journal began its “Alternative Ithaca” series, I turned to it eagerly, hoping to find stories of local residents trying out innovative solutions to life. I expected perhaps to read of people whose homes depended only on solar power, or who practiced sustainable farming. Instead, disappointingly, the Journal has chosen to profile a collection of persons who advocate unproven methods of health care. continue reading
Tags: alternative medicine, janet factor
Posted in Articles, Members Writings | 3 Comments »
