The University of Texas Center for Nonlinear Dynamics has done some very cool research on ooblick (that’s cornstarch and water, for those who didn’t know).
The video shows holes that don’t fill in, holes that merge and split, and “fingers” rising up out of the dish and multiplying.
As of this writing, the Ronald Reagan Memorial National Debt stands at eight trillion, ninety-five billion, nine hundred forty-four million, eight hundred ninety-two thousand, three hundred seventy-one dollars and forty-eight cents. That’s a stack of $100 bills 549 miles high ([1]). The Hubble Space Telescope orbits about 375 miles above Earth.
In fiscal 2005, the US government made $2.053 trillion, and spent $352 billion paying interest on the debt. This is just the minimum payment to keep the debt from growing even more.
In other words, for every dollar that the US government receives in taxes, 17 cents gets taken off the top right off the bat to pay interest on the debt. For every one of your tax dollars, the government can only spend 83 cents on defense, homeland security, urban development, law enforcement, Medicare/Medicaid, research, and everything else the government does.
We Americans love a good bargain. I don’t think paying $1.20 for a dollar’s worth of defense is a good deal.
The front-page article in the Minneapolis/St. Paul City Pages is about PZ Myers. It answers the burning question that I’ve been wondering about for ages: what does “PZ” stand for?
Oh, and it also says what a pharyngula is.
Ed at Dispatches from the Culture Wars has an article ponting out how Behe’s one and only published research article on ID shows that IC isn’t all that improbable at all.
I read that testimony, but somehow never connected the dots as Ed did.
I just ran across a weblog article that complains about the media confusing creationists and intelligent design advocates, so I thought I’d present a handy-dandy chart to clear up any confusion:
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Under cross-examination, Michael Behe continued denying that Pandas means what it so clearly says, e.g.:
Q And that s the text that says, “Intelligent design means that various forms of life began abruptly through an intelligent agency.” Correct?
A Yes.
Q It talks about the life beginning abruptly, not just appearing abruptly, correct?
A Well, that s certainly the word it used, but we can ask, how do we know it began abruptly? The only way that we know it began abruptly is through the fossil record.
Q But beginning is different than appearances in the fossil record, correct, Professor Behe?
A I don t take it to mean that way, no.
Michael Behe’s cross-examination started well. He answered the first four questions with as much confidence and aplomb as when he was answering the planned and rehearsed questions at the direct examination. For the record, those questions were:
After that, it was all downhill.
Call me a wonk if you like, but I actually slogged through the Dover trial transcripts for Michael Behe’s testimony. I do hope you appreciate, gentle readers, the sacrifices I make for you.
The nutshell version: Is Intelligent Design science that should be taught in school? It depends on what your definition of “is” is.
Popular Science has an article listing the ten worst jobs in science.
#7 is Semen Washer.
#3 is Kansas Biology Teacher.
Thanks to JF for the tip.
As I wrote elsewhere, it looks as though the question is not whether the Intelligent Design Creationists will lose the Dover case, but how badly. But I don’t imagine for a moment that they’ll just throw up their hands and give up. So the question is, what’ll they do next?