Yearly Archives: 2007

“Child, are you going to Hell?” asks North Dakota Middle School Teacher

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This is a bad one, folks.

In Simle North Dakota, at the Middle school, a

…teacher is under investigation after showing a religious-themed video in health class.

“We acknowledge that a video clip was shown in a classroom that violated School Board policy and that a parent has submitted a letter of complaint,” said Superintendent Paul Johnson, reading a written statement. “We are investigating the incident and will decide on Monday what action to take.”

The teacher showed “A Letter from Hell,” off of Godtube.com to a health class Wednesday, according to a letter from Steven and Heather Balaban, who have a daughter in the class. Two messages at Steve Balaban’s law office were not returned, and a home number was not listed.

The rest of the story is here.

My daugter came home the other day … she’s in middle school … and mentioned that the teacher in her health class showed a video about Adam and Eve.
Continue reading “Child, are you going to Hell?” asks North Dakota Middle School Teacher →

Health News

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Ebola in Uganda:

New Ebola fatalities push Uganda toll to 25: official from PhysOrg.com
A dreaded Ebola outbreak has killed two people, bringing the toll to 25 in western Uganda, an official said Saturday, as health teams battled to contain the virulent strain in the region.[…]

With the outbreak earlier in the year in DRC, and this outbreak, this is a big year for Ebola. Some time soon, someone is going to have to go and figure out where this disease resides in the wild. I’m betting on it being a plant virus that reaches human populations through a number of different routes, including but not limited to fruit bats. I will be very interesting to see how this particular strain, which is very different in its presentation from other strains, relates at a phylogenetic level from what is already know. (If, indeed, it ends up actually being Ebola proper as opposed to something closely related).

Father of bird flu victim tests positive: China from PhysOrg.com
The father of a man in China who died this week of bird flu has also tested positive for the H5N1 strain of the disease, the country’s health ministry reported on Friday.[…]

Britain warns of homeopathic risks from PhysOrg.com
A top British health official says people who use homeopathic medicines could be causing themselves more harm than good.[…]

Creationism Book on Display in US Gov. Agency Waiting Room

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From this blog at harpers.org, yesterday:

I’m not sure if Secretary of the Commerce Carlos Gutierrez is cheap or cuckoo, but it comes as something of a shock to learn that the controversial book The Atlas of Creation is prominently displayed in the waiting room to his office. Written by the Turkish writer Adnan Oktar (under the pen name of Harun Yahya), the Atlas offers an Islamic version of creationism and blames Charles Darwin for modern terrorism-including the 9/11 attacks.

And today, from the same source:

Richard Mills, an agency spokesman, said in an email: “Apparently like thousands of others, the Department received an unsolicited gift, which was mistakenly displayed in a reception area. We regret this mistake occurred and have removed the book.”

Teen Sex Video: Why Fund Abstinence-Only Programs?

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Coturnix points out that the following video of Dan Abrams speaking with two women about sex among teenagers is a good example of reporting about a scientific issue mired in a political quagmire.Keywords and phrases:Well, what that study actually reveals is…Well, in a number of cases….The study said it didn’t work. So we need to do more of it to make it work.I say, if the legislation doesn’t work, screw it.

How to Turn Linux Calendar Output Into a Blog Post

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I know all my fellow bloggers are jealous about my Linux calendar posts (like this one) and normally I don’t reveal my secrets. But this is so cool I have to share it.The Linux calendar command (in the terminal window) puts out, by default, a listing of events, etc. from today and tomorrow. The listings come from “calendar” files that come with your Linux distribution (these are also on most Unix systems). You can also make your own calendar files. (I’m working on that now.)But how do you take the output from Linux Calendar and turn it into a blog post? Continue reading How to Turn Linux Calendar Output Into a Blog Post →

Two Local Bits

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Don’t Forget: The Listening Project, December 13, at the Oak Street Cinema!


The City of St Paul is a Free Speech Zone

Some inside info on the upcoming Republican National Convention from our own blogospheric correspondent on the East Side…

I have deep roots in the East Side of St. Paul. It is where I really started getting involved in politics through campaigns. I volunteer as treasurer for one of the legislators on the East Side, Tim Mahoney (DFL 67A.) So, I am happy to see that the cop in charge of security for the 2008 GOP convention is an East Sider.

Jesus Loves Darwin

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The Rev. Michael Dowd is preaching a surprising message: Evolution is real and science points to the existence of God.

For the last five years, the author and former evangelical pastor has lived out of a van with his wife, crisscrossing the nation to deliver the good news.

His latest book, Thank God for Evolution, drew endorsements from five Nobel laureates and dozens of religious leaders. With the battle between science and religion at a fever pitch, it couldn’t come at a better time. Just last week Texas papers reported that a curriculum director had been fired in October for forwarding information about an evolution lecture to friends and colleagues.
wired

Look out, religion people, it could be a trick…