March 2006, Epsilon Clue, Page 2

Hey, kids! Spot the punctuation error in
this National Review article
by Stanley Kurtz:

polyamory has much greater potential appeal [than polygamy], and poses a much deeper danger to the American family […]. Take away the stigma against multiple-partner marriage, and our larger family system will be profoundly weakened.

Yes, you got it: he put a period at the end, when obviously he should have used a colon and one or more explanatory clauses.

I’ve often seen the same mistake in articles against gay marriage. Right-wingers tell us that all sorts of things will happen if gay marriage (or, in this case, polyamory) is legalized. But with the exception of a few slippery-slope arguments, sometimes involving
box turtles, they never get around to telling us exactly why these things are bad.

Advice for Christian Parents

John Wilkins has
a good piece:

Don’t try to make everything a religious matter. There’s nothing religious about plumbing, for example. Likewise, science, sports, and dress sense. People can in fact like Korn and still be Christian (although I do not think they can like Korn and still have taste). There is no “Christian” or “Satanic” music, only music that is turned to a purpose.

But go read the whole thing.

I note that he specifically addresses Christian parents. Presumably that means it’s still okay to indoctrinate children into
FSMism.

Andrew Arensburger

Mar, Mon, 2006

Links Science

Scientists, Before and After

This
is pretty cool: 7th-graders’ drawings and descriptions of scientists, both
before and after meeting some real scientists at
Fermilab.

Andrew Arensburger

Mar, Thu, 2006

Evolution

“We pay the teachers’ salary…”

One argument that crops up from time to time in anti-evolutionist circles is, “Teachers should teach Intelligent Design if that’s what the community wants. We pay the teachers’ salary, after all.”

I’ve finally put my finger on what was bugging me about this. It’s exactly the same as saying, “My doctor should tell me those chest pains are just gas, not cancer. I pay his salary, after all.”